One of the biggest dilemmas facing the Houston Texans throughout the 2026 offseason was contract extensions for several key young players.
They were able to take care of the most important one, locking down All-Pro pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. on a three-year, $150 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid player at his position on a per year basis.
Next up, the player they selected one spot before Anderson in the 2023 NFL Draft, quarterback C.J. Stroud. His situation is not as clear-cut as his draft classmate’s, considering the ups-and-downs he’s faced throughout his young career.
Regardless, Stroud is extension-eligible and could’ve signed a new deal at any point this offseason.
They’ve yet to do so, but Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have given Stroud and the Texans a blueprint towards a possible extension.
NFL Insider Says CJ Stroud Extension Deadline is Week 1
The Houston Texans could use the contract that Mayfield signed on Tuesday as a solid comparison to what they could eventually give Stroud.
Of course, general manager Nick Caserio has made it clear that the negotiation window ends once the season begins, meaning if a deal is going to get done, it will have to happen at some point over the next few days.
Regardless, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers inked their longtime quarterback to a three-year, $165 million contract extension, the largest deal handed out in franchise history.
The former No. 1 overall pick is now earning $55 million per year, tied with Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, and Matthew Stafford for the third-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
If that’s a good enough number for two recent MVPs (Allen and Stafford), shouldn’t that be good enough for Stroud, too?
It certainly seems like it, but the former No. 2 overall pick may be holding out for more. Obviously, he could sign a deal now, but with at least two more years of contractual control in Houston (not including the franchise tag), there really is no rush to get a deal done.
NFL Insider Says C.J. Stroud Could Earn $70-$75M
Jordan Schultz, a plugged-in NFL insider, broke down Stroud’s current negotiations with the Houston Texans and revealed that the 24-year-old could stand to gain a lot by bouncing back from a down year with a Pro Bowl-caliber season.
“Now, there’s a deadline for week one, which is important to note. But I think what’s equally important to note is the fact that C.J. Stroud, as he now goes into Year 4, has a chance to make potentially $70-$75 million next offseason,” Schultz said in a post on X.
“So it’ll be really interesting to see if CJ Stroud, former Rookie of the Year, former Pro Bowler, bets on himself to see if he can become one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in 2027.”
Stroud has elite play in him. Everyone saw it in his electric rookie season, and he’s shown flashes of it in the years to follow.
If he can put together a truly elite season in 2026, he may just end up resetting the quarterback market.
Texans Get C.J. Stroud Contract Blueprint From Bucs’ Baker Mayfield