C.J. Stroud, Texans reportedly defer contract extension talks until after upcoming season

C.J. Stroud 's new deal will have to wait. Though the Houston Texans quarterback was in negotiations for a contract extension ahead of this season, talks for that extension have been tabled, per ESPN .

Both sides reportedly prefer to wait until after the 2026-27 season before continuing to work out a long-term extension for the franchise quarterback. The decision to defer negotiations came after weeks of stalled talks between the two sides.

Stroud has been eligible for an extension this offseason for the first time since he entered the league as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Stroud's camp and the Texans had "productive conversations" earlier in the spring, general manager Nick Caserio said in July, but no deal was reached. The Texans picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal in April, too, which was set to pay Stroud $25.9 million in 2027.

In a press conference earlier this month, Caserio had said that even though they'd had "productive talks," negotiations would likely be pushed to next offseason if they couldn't reach a resolution before the start of the season. The Texans open their season against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Stroud threw for a career-low 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions last season, his third in the league. He missed several games due to a concussion, but guided the Texans to a 12-5 record and a third straight playoff run. He was on pace to come close to the 4,000-yard mark too, had it not been for his concussion.

The team has yet to make it past the divisional round under his watch, however. While he has at times looked like a top-tier quarterback in his career, he has struggled, too. He threw four interceptions alone in the team's playoff loss to the New England Patriots , and had seven total turnovers in the postseason.

But the Texans have been back in contention with him under center. In the three years before he landed in Houston, the Texans won just 11 combined games.

Even without a new deal in place, it seems likely that the Texans would like to commit to him as their quarterback of the future, but Stroud is choosing to bet that his next season will show the results worthy of a long-term deal. Whether he can get them over the hump and into the AFC title game, or further, remains to be seen.