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C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans might both have decided to wait on his next contract.
But if they really are playing this two-sided waiting game, it's for different reasons.
The Texans want Stroud to prove himself for another year before committing franchise QB-level money to him.
Stroud wants to play better so he gets the full extent of contract that he feels he deserves.
It's really a waiting game that only one side can fully win.
Obviously, the Texans wouldn't mind too much if Stroud resumes looking like a star and forces them to make a bigger payday to him.
Whatever side of this a Texans fan falls on, though, what's clear is that the 2026 NFL season will be pivotal to Stroud's future in Houston.
"Eligible for a contract extension for the first time this offseason, Stroud still doesn't have one," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote in a new article on Tuesday. "It feels like the Texans -- who are usually early and proactive with their extensions -- want to see how 2026 goes before handing that one out. It's possible Stroud also wants to wait and put himself in a stronger negotiating position with a big season."
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Stroud was Rookie of the Year, but the two seasons that followed haven't shown the step up in play that the Texans, and Stroud, probably would've wanted.
So now, they both wait.
"The team hasn't been able to build him a consistent run game or a reliable offensive line, which could partly explain why he has struggled to regain his rookie form," Graziano writes. "But if he doesn't bounce back from last season's disappointing end, then the extension conversations could get pretty awkward despite three straight trips to the divisional round."
The best outcome for a franchise is to have its current QB work out, because there's no way to know when the next talented quarterback might come to town.
But at the moment, the Texans and Stroud are still in wait-and-see mode.
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