Following an injury-marred season, Trevor Lawrence bounced back in 2025, leaving no doubt he's the long-term answer behind center for the Jacksonville Jaguars. On the other hand, the Houston Texans have been hesitant to give fourth-year quarterback C.J. Stroud a long-term extension. This is notable because the Jags didn't think twice before paying Lawrence back in 2024.
Lawrence is now poised to pick up where he left off, while Stroud's future in Houston remains in doubt, as there are no signs he'll sign an extension any time soon.
The Texans aren't close to a deal with C.J. Stroud
DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN reports that the Texans and C.J. Stroud are far apart in extension talks, noting that his underwhelming showing in the playoffs could have hurt his stock.
"Stroud and the Texans aren't close to a deal as of late June," DJ Bien-Aime wrote. "Houston and its quarterback are in a tricky spot because last season did not end the way either would've preferred. Stroud threw four interceptions against the Patriots in the AFC divisional round. A performance like that can cause hesitation when the extension for Stroud could be in the $55 million to $60 million per year."
Currently, only seven quarterbacks make $55 million per year or more on average. Lawrence is one of them. Five more have an annual average of $50 million or more. Stroud might be aiming to at least join the latter category.
What's telling about the Texans' hesitation to extend Stroud is that they have already given new deals to other young building blocks, such as cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., safety Jalen Pitre, and Will Anderson. Similarly, pass rusher Danielle Hunter got a top-market contract early in 2026.
After a promising rookie season, Stroud seemed like a star in the making. However, he hasn't been nearly as productive the past two years. His playoff performance, in particular, has left much to be desired.
Of course, one good season could be enough for Stroud to turn things around, but he's most definitely under pressure heading into 2026.
Unlike the Texans, the Jaguars don't have to worry about their QB
You could make the case that certain parallels exist between Lawrence and Stroud, but there aren't many beyond the fact that they play the same position in the same division. Stroud had a pretty good supporting cast as a rookie, unlike Lawrence.
Once the Jaguars gave No. 16 a bit of help in 2022, he took a massive leap. Heck, he was part of the MVP conversation early in 2023 because of his hot start before it all came to a screeching halt with injuries. Meanwhile, Stroud hasn't been able to recapture the success he had as a rookie.
Sure, Lawrence didn't look great in 2024 — and you could pin some of his struggles on Doug Pederson even then — before he began to deal with injuries. But if you leave his rookie campaign aside, he's only had a down season. This is a long-winded way to say that Jacksonville had a big enough sample (2022, and 2023 before injuries) when it paid the former Clemson Tiger. Two years later, the decision looks great.
The quarterback market keeps going up nearly on a yearly basis, and Lawrence's $55 million deal doesn't look nearly as big as it did in 2024. It's far from a bargain, but the Jaguars surely won't mind as long as he keeps playing the way he did last year.
Meanwhile, the Texans could enter a tricky situation, as they'll either have to pay C.J. Stroud an absurd amount of money if he shows out or look for alternatives in case he doesn't. Either way, it looks like the Jaguars' divisional foe finds itself in a lose-lose situation.
