The Houston Texans have seen a ton of discourse surrounding their quarterback C.J. Stroud after the way he ended the 2025 season–– which inevitably ended his underwhelming third year pro with an abysmal performance in the divisional round against the New England Patriots resulting in four interceptions and a 16-28 loss.
However, while Stroud's stock is down perhaps lower than it's ever been since entering the league, that's far from saying the Texans signal-caller isn't without a fair share of support and belief.
In fact, Stroud's even seen some notable names from the NFL going to bat for him regarding his status as a starting NFL quarterback, whether that be those on his team, or in this case, a Hall of Famer like former Houston Oilers star Warren Moon.
Warren Moon Would Roll With C.J. Stroud Over Baker Mayfield
Moon recently appeared on SportsRadio 610 to discuss some of his feelings about Stroud, and whether or not the Texans might be better off with a guy like Baker Mayfield, who happens to be hitting free agency in the 2027 offseason.
And in Moon's opinion, he sees Stroud as a quarterback as someone who would be "highly coveted around the league," and shouldn't be in consideration to be replaced with another quarterback like Mayfield.
“I don’t think so,” Moon said about the Texans replacing Stroud with Mayfield. “I think if you polled most people, they’d rather have C.J. over Baker. But I guarantee you that Tampa would come after C.J. if the Texans tried to go after Baker. He’s going to be very highly coveted around this league.”
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) July 20, 2026
The Texans are about to reach a crossroads with Stroud. Not just because of how he's performed for the past two seasons, yet also due to the contract extension he'll be due following the expiration of his rookie deal in 2028, which could be a hefty amount depending on how he performs this season.
If the Texans were ever going to pivot from Stroud, that would be done within the next two seasons. If not, they'll be giving him a hefty contract to cement his long-term future with the team–– which raises the question of whether or not a guy like Mayfield would be better suited for this roster.
Moon Continues to Hold Out Hope for C.J. Stroud
Moon doesn't quite see that being the best course of action for the Texans, though. Instead, he views Stroud as someone who's well capable of being a franchise quarterback for Houston, and has more than enough time to get back on track from where his promising development once stood after his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2023.
"But ultimately, the biggest reason for his belief was the massive age difference between the two," Moon continued. "C.J. will, especially because he’s a young guy, and he’s not even in his prime yet. He’s still got his best years ahead of him. So I’m not worried about it.”
“I know there’s a lot of panic in this city, but I’m not worried about it,” Moon added. “And hopefully a lot of other people aren’t worried about it as well.”
Jun 10, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) participates during the team’s minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It's now or never for the Texans' quarterback to prove whether or not he's worthy of that second contract, as well as finding that extended belief from the front office that locks him in as their franchise guy for the long haul.
At the very least, Stroud has a much-improved offense surrounding him heading into 2026 after a productive offseason that could help lift him up a bit better than last season's group did. Time will tell if he can put the pieces together.
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