Texans GM Nick Caserio said there were “productive talks” on a contract extension for QB C.J. Stroud and that if a deal isn’t done before the start of the season, they’ll pick it up next offseason.

01 September 2026

There’s really no reason for Stroud to want to negotiate off last year’s end-of-season performance, so we’re not stunned that there’s been no extension. It does sound like the Texans are at least laying the groundwork for next offseason. The general NFL expectation has been that Stroud will go into the year without an extension. The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Alexander reported that league sources believe the Texans and Stroud’s camp “are not far off on what they think Stroud’s contract terms should look like and how much he should be paid per year.”