As he prepares to enter an offseason in which first eligible for a contract extension, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud did himself no favors with a dreadful playoff performance versus the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Stroud had an all-time bad performance in the 28-16 loss, with the Texans signal-caller completing 20-of-47 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown to four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Had Stroud just played a decent game, the Texans could've knocked off the Patriots thanks to their defense, which played at a high level throughout the contest.
This certainly complicates things with Stroud's contract situation.
Now, the Texans have to decide if they're going to pay the quarterback, who could garner a $154 million contract, per Spotrac, or if they're going to wait another season or more before making a decision on his future.
With the fifth-year option, which the Texans are almost certainly going to pick up this offseason, Houston will have through the 2027 season to evaluate the young signal-caller if they want to take that much time.
Stroud once looked to be on a superstar trajectory after a fantastic rookie season, but the wheels have come off over the past two seasons.
Granted, poor protection upfront has certainly played a role in his struggles, but as we saw in the divisional round game versus New England, Stroud's decision-making has been a major problem as well.
The smart move for Houston would be to give Stroud at least one more season before even entertaining an extension.
It simply wouldn't be a wise decision to hand Stroud a boatload of money any sooner than that after what we saw on Sunday.
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