Texans GM defends CJ Stroud as franchise QB despite playoff failure

Despite CJ Stroud’s brutal showing in this year’s playoffs, the Houston Texans are standing pat with the star quarterback.

Stroud was unable to overcome the challenges of the Patriots’ defense in the AFC Divisional Round. He only completed 20 passes out of 47 attempts for 212 yards and one touchdown and the aforementioned interceptions.

It marked another year of disappointment on the offensive side of the ball. The Texans have showed Super Bowl potential with how they perform on defense but haven’t been able to say the same for their offense.

General manager Nick Caserio reflected on the 2025 campaign during an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. He maintained his support for Stroud, enjoying how the quarterback has kept the team stable as playoff contenders.

“I think the big thing about DeMeco, we believe in our players, and you want to instill confidence in them, understanding there’s going to be some ups and downs that you’re going to have to endure. Every player goes through that. CJ went through that during the course of season, and that game was a microcosm of some of the things early in the year, but it’s going to happen,” Caserio said.

“So how do you bounce back? How do you handle those things? And hopefully you learn from them. And then you get to the offseason, what are some things that you can correct? So that’s where the focus is going to be. But he’s played a lot of good football for us for three years now, and excited for where we are heading into year four.”

.@HoustonTexans GM Nick Caserio discussed the support they have for QB C.J. Stroud.

https://t.co/ROaoooLr1I#Texans | #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/K3nDAVSqWN

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) January 29, 2026

What lies ahead for CJ Stroud, Texans

It’s clear that the Texans aren’t giving up on CJ Stroud despite his playoff woes. However, it will take a lot for him to make significant strides in his skillset at quarterback.

Throughout 14 games in 2025, Stroud completed 273 passes for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions while adding 48 rushes for 209 yards and a touchdown. In the postseason, he completed 41 passes for 462 yards and two touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Texans have plenty of questions to answer throughout the offseason. Not only will they pursue needs in the upcoming draft and free agency, but they also have decisions to make regarding their top players and coaching staff.

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