No, the Houston Texans are not planning to trade Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud this offseason despite a poor postseason performance.
Does this mean the team shouldn’t at least ask about the asking price? If so, which team is likely to be the most aggressive.
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Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr recently revealed his 32 bold predictions for the 2026 offseason, looking back at the moves every team will make ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft. For the Texans, he allowed them to add two linemen before the draft to address offensive line issues, giving them the flexibility to target specific players in the draft.
As for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Orr had the AFC North team reach out to Nick Caserio about the fourth-year pass rusher.
“I’m not saying Houston will take over, but I’m saying the Texans will get the call. Stroud is a perfect pipe dream renovation project for the Steelers, who never planned on rebuilding and still might be too good to predict a top-10 pick in 2027,” Orr wrote. “Is he worth two late first-round picks to Texas, who could use a veteran bridge starter in this year’s class (Jimmy Garoppolo to pair with Nick Culley?) and add to this vicious defense?”
Before going any further, both parties must agree on a price to start a conversation. Two first-round picks would have to be the starting point for a franchise quarterback to move on this offseason, but even that might not be enough for the Texans to pull the trigger.
Although Stroud struggled in the playoffs, he still led the Texans to 32 wins in three years. While Year 3 was mediocre compared to his breakout rookie season, it still wasn’t bad enough to spark trade rumors.
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Living in the moment, Stroud looks like a project heading into the 2026 offseason. A franchise reset could work in his favor, though any return would actually allow Houston to defraud the Steelers of two draft picks that could help improve the franchise. But the Texans are in winning mode after making the divisional round three years in a row, so whoever plays quarterback must be capable of leading the team to its first division title.
The chances of this happening are slim. Just like Stroud has a lower chance of being sent away.
This article originally appeared on Texas Wire: NFL analysts make bold predictions about Texans and QB CJ Stroud’s future
