No, the Houston Texans don't plan on trading Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud this offseason despite an abysmal playoff performance.
Does that mean teams shouldn't at least inquire about an asking price? And if so, which team could be the most aggressive.
Sports Illustrated's Connor Orr recently revealed his 32 bold predictions of the 2026 offseason, recapping one move that every team will make before the upcoming NFL Draft. For the Texans, he has them addressing the offensive line by adding two linemen ahead of the draft, giving them flexibility to maneuver around the draft for a specific player.
As for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Orr has the AFC North franchise reaching out to Nick Caserio about the fourth-year passer.
"I’m not saying Houston will pick up, but I am saying that the Texans will receive a phone call. Stroud is the perfect pipe-dream reclamation project for a Steelers team that never plans to rebuild and is still probably too good to project for a top-10 pick in 2027," Orr wrote. "Would he be worth a pair of late first-round picks to a Texans team that can find a veteran bridge starter in this year’s class (Jimmy Garoppolo paired with Nick Caley?) and add to that vicious defense?"
Before going any further, the two sides must agree on a price to even start a conversation. Two first-round picks would have to be the starting point for the franchise quarterback to leave this offseason, but even that might not be enough for the Texans to pull the trigger.
Even though Stroud struggled in the playoffs, he's still guided the Texans to 32 wins in three years. Even with an underwhelming Year 3 compared to his breakout rookie season, it still wasn't terrible enough to warrant trade rumors.
Living in the moment, Stroud looks like a project entering the 2026 offseason. A reset with franchises might benefit him, though any regression would actually have Houston swindling the Steelers for two picks that could help elevate the franchise. But the Texans are in win-now mode after making the divisional round three straight years, so whoever came in to play quarterback would have to be capable of leading the franchise to its first conference title.
The odds are slim of that happening. Just like the odds of Stroud being shipped off are even lower.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: NFL analyst has bold prediction for Texans and QB C.J. Stroud's future