If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return, the Steelers will have to bring in a quarterback one way or another. They’ve been connected through speculation with an interesting name in C.J. Stroud, Houston’s starting quarterback.
Stroud had an excellent rookie season, one that took the league by storm. But he hasn’t found the same level of success over the past two years. He beat the Steelers in the Wild Card round last season despite a poor personal performance, but lost the following week, throwing four interceptions against New England. Many have wondered whether the Texans might consider trading him, with Conor Orr specifically mentioning the Steelers as a possible landing spot.
Speaking Tuesday at the scouting combine, Texans GM Nick Caserio put all of that speculation to bed.
“He’s our quarterback. He ain’t going anywhere… We have a lot of confidence in C.J., we got a lot of confidence in our players, and we’re glad he’s our quarterback,” Caserio said via Aaron Wilson on X, who also added that Caserio called the idea of trading Stroud “moronic.”
For what it’s worth, there never was any real steam toward a C.J. Stroud trade. The idea could make some sense, with him having a rough end to the 2025 season and the value he might net in a potential trade.
But franchise quarterbacks are especially hard to find in today’s NFL. The Texans spent the second overall pick on Stroud, then he rewarded them with a terrific rookie season. It certainly makes sense that Houston would want to keep Stroud heading into his fourth year.
There never were any real links between Stroud and the Steelers, just analysts thinking he’s an option worth checking. But he’s clearly off the table, and the Steelers still have their own options to look at. That includes the aforementioned idea of bringing Rodgers back. Pittsburgh also has Will Howard in the building and plenty of picks to pluck a quarterback from the draft. In free agency and on the trade market, names like Malik Willis, Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa might be out there, too.
Stroud is a fun name to consider, but it never seemed realistic in the first place. Now, Caserio has confirmed his quarterback won’t be going anywhere.
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