The Houston Texans pulled off a remarkable turnaround in 2025. After starting the season 0-3, they went 12-2 in their final 14 games to clinch the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Texans won their Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, though ultimately fell to the New England Patriots in the Divisional round.
Though the season was cut short, Houston has plenty to build around for the future, especially on the defensive side. This offseason, the Texans have two big decisions to make when it comes to two of their best players.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson are heading into the final years of their rookie extensions. With free agency looming for both following next season, Houston must decide whether to extend them or let them play lame duck seasons in 2026.
Dan Graziano Predicts Extensions For Stroud and Anderson
Dan Graziano of ESPN released his predictions for what the Texans will do with Stroud and Anderson’s contracts this offseason.
Stroud’s extension would be four-years, $224 million, with $110 million guaranteed at signing. Anderson’s would also be four-years, though at $176 million with $121 million guaranteed at signing.
Stroud is the bigger question mark for Houston: on one hand, he’s been a slightly above average quarterback for the bulk of his three seasons, and still has plenty of room to grow. On the other hand, his shortcomings have been exposed on the national stage, most recently when he threw four interceptions against the Patriots in the Divisional round.
It comes down to whether Houston thinks they can win with Stroud. No, he’ll probably never be a star like Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, but decent and consistent QB play can get the job done in the playoffs, especially if Houston’s defense remains a juggernaut. And would anyone really feel confident in bringing in a new QB with an already strong roster? Probably not.
Anderson is the kind of player that you can basically just hand a blank check and tell them to go nuts. You’d be hard pressed to find a better pass rusher in the league who will be available anytime soon. Anderson can ask for whatever he wants and the Texans would be fools to turn him down.
Houston’s Offense Poised to Take a Big Step Next Season
Outside of the possible extensions to Stroud and Anderson, the Texans will retain almost all of their impact players next season, making them a sneaky Super Bowl candidate for 2026.
Houston’s offense was a very middle-of-the-road unit this season, and injuries certainly didn’t help. Losing Nico Collins ahead of the New England game certainly didn’t help their chances.
But, with Collins back next season, Houston should also be getting Tank Dell back after he missed the entirety of 2025 with a dislocated knee and a torn ACL, MCL, and LCL. Dell was on 1,000 yard trajectories in both of his first two seasons before injuries limited him.
The Texans will also have Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel heading into their second seasons after making impacts as rookies. Houston has the potential to have one of the deepest WR rooms in the NFL in 2026.
Insider Predicts Huge Contract Extensions for Two Texans Stars This Offseason