Texans GM Nick Caserio gives high praise to C.J. Stroud amid criticism

Nick Caserio might not be ready to give C.J. Stroud a brand new extension, but the Houston Texans general manager gave high praise to the quarterback going into Year 4.

>Caserio told reporters early Wednesday morning that Stroud had one of the best offseasons he's seen in quite some time. More notably, Caserio was pleased with how Stroud handled the outside critcism from the public following an abysmal postseason.

>“When you’re not in a building, when you are not with an individual on a day-to-day basis, you really don’t have all the information,” Caserio said. “So you can make judgments and cast aspersions and say whatever you are going to say, but sometimes it’s out of context.”

>For the majority of last season. Stroud played up to a standard, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 19 touchdowns. He helped Houston reach the postseason for the third straight year and even won another wild-card round game over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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More on a potential CJ Stroud extension from Nick Caserio:

“We have an understanding of what the market is (feels a lot of people are looking at this imo), the dynamics, not necessarily about what other teams are doing (history has shown this in the NFL & young QB contracts),… https://t.co/MOLhHIhobHpic.twitter.com/xFcqVE536X

— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) July 29, 2026But the struggles in the postseason remain a concern as to whether Stroud can be the long-term answer at quarterback. He tossed seven interceptions, including four in the divisional round loss to the New England Patriots, a game that could have clinched Houston a spot in the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.

>Stroud said he changed several things about his offseason workouts to be in the best shape of his life. The Texans have taken notice and are pleased with the results.

>“We love having C.J. here. We are glad he’s our quarterback and we are going to support him like we support our other players and do whatever we can to help them and make them the best version of themselves," Caserio said.

>The next conversation for Houston to have is getting a deal done that works for both parties. According to several reports, Stroud could receive up to $60 million annually, which would make him a top-three paid quarterback going into the season, slotting him just above Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and below Dallas' Dak Prescott.

>For now, Stroud is worried about his on-field play rather than his off-field contract conversations.

>“What I’ve done is what I’ve done on the field,” Stroud said. “And what I will do, we’ll see. I’ve had some success and I think I’ll continue to have some success as a quarterback in this league. I’m excited for the future. Past all the contract stuff, I love playing football.”

>The Texans return to practice on Thursday morning.

>This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans GM Nick Caserio gives high praise to C.J. Stroud amid criticism