Two days after the Texans’ 2024 season ended in a divisional-round loss to the Chiefs, C.J. Stroud showed humility and self-awareness. When a reporter asked him what he had learned about himself in the past year, he admitted that it was “a lot.”
Anointed as an immediate superstar in 2023, when he put together one of the best rookie quarterback seasons in NFL history, Stroud saw his numbers regress across the board as a second-year pro.
“In this league, being comfortable will get you got,” he said in January. “And for me, I wouldn’t say that I was comfortable, but I definitely had a feeling like I knew I was going to do well — and even that’s dangerous.
“It’s cliché, but control what you can control,” he added. “Control the controllables. If you can’t control it, then you can’t let it stress you. It’s easier said than done.”
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It was a reflective, wise response from Stroud, who’s just 23. And it’s why I believe we’ll see a different version of Stroud in 2025, getting back on track to becoming truly elite.
Here we see a young, talented franchise quarterback — with a clutch gene and an ability to throw with timing, accuracy and anticipation that is hard to teach — who has been humbled. The challenges of last season, including terrible pass protection and a big uptick in turnovers (16 in 2024, tied for fourth-most in the league, compared to nine as a rookie), could be what drives him to reach new heights in 2025.
It’s hard not to notice that Stroud has been much quieter this offseason in the public sphere. Perhaps that’s by design.
Last offseason, he traveled to China, Japan, Morocco and France for various commitments. He was at Radio Row ahead of the Super Bowl. He played in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. He attended Michael Rubin’s exclusive White Party for celebrities. He went on several podcasts.
By contrast, maybe his most notable public appearance since the 2024 season ended was attending the Rockets–Warriors first-round NBA playoff series — in Houston.
“He’s had a great offseason. He’s been here, really, since February,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said on the “Up & Adams Show” in April. “I think he’s got the right mindset. He understands that we can all improve, and we can all get better, and this is what the offseason is for.”
C.J. Stroud has been much more low-key this offseason, but he did make an appearance at a Warriors-Rockets game in the first round of the NBA playoffs. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
A better version of Stroud in 2025 doesn’t fall solely on Stroud, of course. The Texans must be better around him offensively, too.
To that end, they’ve revamped their offensive line, though perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil is among those out of the picture, traded to the Commanders in March for a package of draft picks. The Texans also have a new offensive coordinator in former Los Angeles Rams assistant Nick Caley, a first-time playcaller, and a new offensive line coach in Chris Strausser, the assistant for the unit last season.
“I will be able to put my swag on it, have fun with it,” Stroud said of Caley’s offense. “He is all about me taking full ownership, running the show, and that’s what I want.”
The wide receiver room has also undergone a makeover. With Tank Dell’s status for 2025 uncertain due to a serious knee injury sustained in December, the Texans will have to lean heavily on star Nico Collins and rookie draft picks Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round).
Draft picks Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, who were teammates at Iowa State, are key to helping Stroud have a bounce-back year in his third NFL season. (Courtesy of Fanatics)
But if Houston can keep Stroud upright, the passing attack has a chance to get back to the explosiveness we saw in 2023. Collins has veteran help at wideout in Christian Kirk, who was a dependable target in both Arizona and Jacksonville when healthy. Higgins and Noel both registered 1,000-yard seasons at Iowa State in 2024.
“You talk about playmaking ability, Jaylin’s ability to stretch the field, in the deep end part of the field. And then you have Jayden, just a big target, very similar,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said after the draft. “I know a lot of people said [he’s] very similar to Nico in what he’s able to do, but you get a receiver of his stature and with his catch radius, it just opens up a lot of things for us offensively that I know all of our guys are excited about.”
It should be genuine for Stroud.
Considering the experience he has now, he should be confident in his ability to take the next step in the 2025 season.
“You’ve got to be able to adapt and change and upgrade,” Stroud said. “Every year, the iPhone upgrades. You’ve got to be able to upgrade like that. So, that’s something that I think we’ll do. Personally, a goal of mine is to get better in things that I need to get better in.
“Being a quarterback in the NFL is something that no one can teach you about. You got to experience it. Got to make mistakes, you got to fail. You have to do good, and you have to do bad. I plan to use those experiences to help others, and be a servant to one another.”
In that process, C.J. Stroud’s ascension should be inevitable.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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