At the time of this writing, the NFL Draft has come and gone, and the Texans are moving from draft prep to those first few offseason workouts before the “NFL Dead Zone” returns. Extensions for key players, mainly Will Anderson Jr. are in the books, and now the squad can move from off-field debate on seeing some initial on-field production. Also, that moves us that much closer to the start of the NFL season, when many a person’s mental and financial health will hinge on the actions of men playing
a mere game.
Still, even with all that is done, there are no shortages of questions facing the Texans. With that in mind, some open questions facing the Houston Texans:
What about CJ Stroud? When Will Anderson Jr. received his massive, market-breaking contract extension, after all of the shock and awe of the news, attention immediately shifted to his 2023 draft counterpart, QB CJ Stroud. At the time of this writing, Stroud is still on his rookie deal, with his 5th year option being picked up. While that will significantly increase his paycheck in the future, the big 2nd contract remains elusive and unknown. Much has been written about his uneven career trajectory, from a stellar rookie season to one of the worst flameouts in postseason history to end the 2025-26 season. Quarterback extensions tend to dwarf other positions, and if the QB is truly a franchise level guy, teams will pay that. Yet, that is also a massive gamble for teams, for all the Mahomes, Burrow, Stafford and Jackson deals out there, you also have the Kyler Murray and Tua Taigivioloa cautionary tales. Houston is playing a risky game. You can see the logic of the team using this season to see if Stroud can get back to being the franchise guy he appeared in his rookie season, which would validate a massive extension. Yet, that extension could be even more cap-painful in the future vs. paying now. Granted, if the 2025-26 postseason was not an aberration, but a harbinger of things to come, then any extension could be seen as a franchise-hindering albatross.
Any other extensions inbound? With the re-signing of Al-Shaair this past week, Houston seemingly locked up most of its key components. Yet, does that mean that Houston is done with the contract extensions, aside from the Stroud situation? Could another defender, say To’oTo’o be the next guy to stick around? Would Houston yet again reconsider a Dalton Schultz extension? The cap space is getting a little tight and the draft picks all need to actually get signed, but there is still time to lock up some other players if Houston so felt.
What can the offseason workouts show us about the offense? Granted, putting that much stock in mini-camps and mandatory pre-preseason workouts is the textbook definition of overvaluing. However, those summer camps will be the first time the team can even see a semblance of what is to come. While the real grades can’t happen until September, it might offer some insight into just what Houston fans might expect. Can the hopes of some new lineman and an offseason to help Stroud move past whatever that was in mid/late January would be huge? The first chance will appear at those camps.
Contract Drama: Somewhat buried in the hubbub of the NFL Draft and the Vrabel/Russini affair (yes, we are leaning into the double meaning), the Texans publicly addressed rumors of contract unhappiness with WR Nico Collins, stating that they were not trading him. As for now, Collins remains with the team. His contract extension, signed last season, pays him roughly $24M/season, which is a good salary, but not quite to the level of the top WRs in the NFL. Apparently, Collins is indicating to teammates that he is underpaid relative to his value/performance. He is certainly the WR1 for the Houston offense. Will this spill over into mini-camps and training camp? One hopes not, but where money is involved, business decisions, for good and ill, will be made.
What about the 2027 Draft? Oh, did you think your draft porn addiction ended with the selection of Mr. Irrelevant? Oh no. The draft is a full year exercise, one that never ends. Already, sports sites are putting out the “way-too-early-but-we-so-need-the-clicks” articles about the potential 2027 class. As for the Texans, after all of the moves, the wheeling and dealing, they sit with 6 current draft picks for the 2027, which, based on those way-too-early-projections, is seen as a better-quality class for talent vs. 2026. Hopefully, Houston will not need to avail itself of the potential gold mine of QB prospects. But then again, wasn’t the 2026 class at this time last year supposed to be a loaded one with talent?
Any other off-field actions. While the attention for Houston has been on the players and upgrading said roster, there is plenty afoot on the business side. The establishment of the Toro District and the renaming of NRG Stadium back to Reliant were the big moves, but there are plenty more considerations to face. The Texans are looking to either build a new stadium or refurbish the current one. The idea of the Toro District seems to indicate that any fears of relocation outside of Houston are null and void, but as aforementioned, money can impact things. Hopefully, any Houston Texans’ executives and staff can stay out of the headlines this year and avoid a Javier Loya situation, that would be nice.
No doubt there are plenty of other questions to be asked, and for many of them, we won’t come close to an answer until the on-field action starts for real. Until then, we will continue to wait, watch and report on what we can. Next big milestone: The schedule release.
