'I'm a Hell of a Football Player,' C.J. Stroud Addresses Criticism and New Rumors on Texans Contract

Ahead of what could be an important year for him financially, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud struck a confident tone.

"I play this game because God has chosen me to go through these things and to have this talent," he told ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime . "Got some guys around me that want to protect and want to run the ball. So I think that'll help, and I'm a hell of a football player."

Stroud hit the ground running as a rookie. He averaged an NFL-best 273.9 passing yards and had 23 touchdowns to five interceptions en route to being a Pro Bowler.

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Since then, the 24-year-old has regressed. In 31 starts across 2024 and 2025, he threw for 6,768 yards, 39 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. That averaged out to 218.3 yards per contest.

The fact the Texans haven't extended Stroud past the 2027 season — he has a $25.9 million club option next year — speaks for itself.

With so much on the line, he's trying to avoid the outside noise.

"People are quick to use Twitter," Stroud said. "I focus on me. I can't control [social media], so why would I care? Of course I'm human. I learned if some people had the opportunity to be me, they would. But a lot of people have opinions and don't have opportunities.

"So the more opinions people have, the more opportunity that I have to prove who I am. They love to critique. That's part of life. I play in an entertainment sport, so they're critical of a lot of people. I have the opportunity to go play. No one can stop that."

The signal-caller added he's "proud of myself for how I've handled these past couple months" and spun his past struggles on the field in a positive light. They've provided him with an opportunity to improve.

Every NFL player wants long-term financial security, and Stroud would presumably prefer to have a lucrative extension in hand. Bien-Aime reported he and the Texans are at least "content" with where things stand.

Stroud has the full support of the locker room as well. Wide receiver Nico Collins told Bien-Aime the quarterback is "built for everything."

"We believe in him, we love him," Collins said. "This is the best position he can be in right now. I feel like he is about to go out and show the whole world what he's made of, and I can't wait. We got his back 100%, all the way."

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Sept. 2 the Texans are "prepared to put Stroud in what it feels is a strong place among the 12 quarterbacks in the $50 million club." The player appears to be unmoved given the parties haven't struck an agreement yet.

That's a little risky when $50 million would represent fair value for Stroud. The Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott and Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes are the only QBs earning $60 million or more.

Should Stroud have a monster campaign, he could plausibly hit that valuation. In the event that fails to happen, his future earnings could take a massive hit.