No, the Houston Texans will not trade Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud.
You think this was ever on the table, and general manager Nick Caserio just silenced all the doubters with one sentence.
During the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Caserio discussed Stroud’s postseason setback as the Texans once again fell short of the AFC Championship. When asked if the team plans to trade Stroud this offseason, the fifth-year general manager didn’t mince words.
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“He’s our quarterback,” Caserio said. “He’s not going anywhere.”
Stroud, who won the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year after breaking an NFL record, has spent the past two seasons looking to return to Pro Bowl form. After a dominant first year, things started to come back in 2024 and even more so in 2025, leading to three consecutive divisional round losses.
Most Texans fans and media embraced Stroud as the No. 1 defensive back was the backbone of the team’s run of 10 straight wins and a wild-card round win, but it all came to a head when the Texans faltered in the playoffs due to Stroud’s four interceptions, including six that helped New England win 28-16.
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Caserio, who enters a critical crossroads in his tenure this offseason, said the team still believes Stroud’s best is yet to come and he has the full support of everyone, including head coach DeMeco Reigns.
“We have confidence in CJ, we have confidence in our players, and we’re excited to have him as our quarterback,” Caserio said.
Although Stroud struggled in the postseason, he also helped Houston have the NFL’s longest winning streak and end the regular season with nine games. He also guided two scores in a wild-card round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, including finding wide receiver Christian Kirk for a touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Stroud is 3-3 in the postseason with the Texans. His regular season record was 28 wins and 18 losses. He completed 63.8 percent of his passes in his career, threw for 10,876 yards, 62 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. Stroud passed for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns while also rushing for two scores last year as the team won 12 games.
“That’s idiotic. Like we’re not going to trade this guy. He’s our quarterback,” Caserio said. “So, he’s going to play quarterback for the Houston Texans in 2026. Anything beyond that, you guys can guess, but we’re not going to trade C.J. Stroud.”
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The Texans will have at least one more season running with Stroud at QB1.
What about reality? No matter who says it out there, this is how it is always going to be.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wired: Texans: Nick Caserio won’t trade quarterback CJ Stroud heading into offseason