C.J. Stroud got the ball at his own 32 with 1:55 left and the game tied, completed both of his passes for 25 yards and set up Ka’imi Fairbairn’s walk-off field goal in the Houston Texans’ 34-31 win over Jacksonville. It was his best argument yet that the Texans made a mistake putting off his extension until after the season.
Houston and Stroud agreed to pause talks until after 2026, ESPN reported in September, with a fast-rising quarterback market shaping the timing. The Texans picked up his fifth-year option in April, so they have control through 2027. That’s a fine safety net. It’s also a reason the price only goes up from here.
The numbers keep climbing
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Stroud went 24 of 34 for 312 yards and three touchdown passes Sunday. Through six games, he has 1,714 passing yards, nine touchdown passes and one interception, according to his ESPN game log, and he’s done it behind a line that gave up 14 sacks in the first five weeks. He already earned PFF honors in Week 4, and Sunday’s 116.3 passer rating was his second-best of the season.
The case for waiting is real. Houston started 0-4, and Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano wouldn’t rule out a coaching change, which could affect how the next staff values him. But the Texans have won two straight since DeMeco Ryans took over defensive play-calling, and the quarterback hasn’t been the main problem in the losses. Three of them came by five points or fewer.
Waiting made sense in September. It makes less sense now, with Stroud playing like this and the market still rising. Houston has a 25-year-old who just won a game in London with his last two throws. Reopening talks now, before another month of games like this one, is the cheaper path, and fans in H-Town have seen enough to know which way his price is heading.
