Texans: No in-season contract talks with C.J. Stroud if no deal by Sept. 13

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws before an NFL preseason football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) 2026-09-01T16:46:26Z HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans won’t extend current contract negotiations with quarterback C.J. Stroud into the season. General manager Nick Caserio said Tuesday that if the club can’t reach an agreement with Stroud before the Sept. 13 opener against Buffalo that it will pause all talks until next offseason. Houston already picked up Stroud’s fifth-year option, meaning it has him under team control through 2027. Caserio said at the start of training camp in late July that there was a chance the sides could come to terms on an extension but no deal appears to be imminent. The 24-year-old Stroud is 28-18 and led the Texans to the playoffs in each of the three seasons since Houston took him with the second overall pick in the 2023 draft. The AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 completed a career-best 64% of his passes in 2025 as Houston went 12-5 and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs. Stroud struggled in a postseason loss in New England, throwing four interceptions in a 28-16 defeat. ___ See AP’s full NFL coverage here