C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans is not going to be traded to the Cleveland Browns, or anyone
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C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans is not going to be traded to the Cleveland Browns, or anyone
Recent history would suggest that, for the Cleveland Browns, pulling off a blockbuster trade to acquire a starting quarterback is not a particularly productive idea. It would also suggest, rather loudly, that pulling off a blockbuster to acquire the Houston Texans‘ starting quarterback would be downright foolish.
Thus, the notion of the Browns and Texans making a deal to swap out some of the Browns’ mass of draft assets to bring in CJ Stroud as Houston struggles to find a new contract for him was probably going nowhere fast. Cleveland torpedoed itself in the past half-decade by acquiring Deshaun Watson from Houston in 2022 for a package headlined by first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024, with three additional picks in that mix.
The Browns then tethered themselves to Watson with a fully guaranteed $230 million five-year contract, one that is widely agreed to have been the worst in NFL history. You’ll pardon the Browns and their fans if there was always going to be a once-bitten-twice-shy attitude toward another potential quarterback trade with the Texans, especially while still under the yolk of the Watson contract.
CJ Stroud Not Getting Traded
Perhaps there was a sigh of relief, then, from Cleveland Browns observers everywhere when Texans general manager Nick Caserio met with reporters and made clear what the intentions of the franchise are when it comes to Stroud, the former No. 2 overall pick from Ohio State who was the Rookie of the Year winner in 2023 but has failed to make much progress since.
Speaking at the NFL draft combine in Indianapolis, Caserio told gathered reporters about Stroud, “It’s moronic. We’re not trading the guy. He’s our quarterback. He’s gonna be playing quarterback for the Houston Texans in 2026. Anything beyond that, that’s your world. You guys can speculate on that. But we’re not trading C.J. Stroud.
When you’re filling out your Browns QB1 2026 bingo card, then, it seems that Stroud is one name that can be omitted.
Browns Quarterback Hunt Ongoing
There is still the question of what names can be included for the Browns in their search for a new quarterback, and even without Stroud, the team has been linked to just about every available option on the market.
A trade is on the table, perhaps for a polished former starter like Mac Jones of the 49ers (San Francisco has said they do not want to trade Jones, as well). Free agency is on the table, too, for a mostly untested wild card like Malik Willis. A draft option, whether it’s a potential first-rounder like Ty Simpson or a later gamble (Garrett Nussmeier?) has not been ruled out, either.
Then there’s the incumbent, Shedeur Sanders, who improved over the course of the seven games he started in 2025 but hardly played at a level that guaranteed he’d win the job in 2026. And like it or not, there’s still Watson kicking around on the roster, his hefty salary guaranteeing he will be on board in 2026 and likely released in 2027.
Watson, GM Andrew Berry said, will get a chance to win the job this offseason–as will Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel and whomever else is on the roster.
Berry said: “Any player on our roster, we would want to compete. We believe in competition at every spot. That’s not different than quarterback—Deshaun’s been working really hard. He’s been working his tail off and, like I said, we’re excited to get going with all our players across the roster.”