C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson contract negotiations: NFL insider updates status on Texans future

The Houston Texans selected quarterback C.J. Stroud and pass rusher Will Anderson with the no. 2 and no. 3 overall picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. But their future with the organization stands at very different points heading into a contract year. While Anderson will likely secure the bag and his future in Houston this offseason, Stroud may have something to prove.

During the NFL Network’s Sunday coverage of the 2026 NFL Combine, insider Ian Rapoport gave the latest on where each sits in the Texans‘ priority queue heading into the offseason.

Anderson will follow in the defensive teammate Derek Stingley Jr‘s footsteps. The back-to-back All-Pro cornerback signed a three-year, $90-million contract nearly a year ago. As Rapoport illuminated, the Texans employ a simple strategy. They pay stars, and they pay them with little hassle.

“Deals come together when they come together,” the NFL insider said. “A lot of times, these happen later in the spring. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one happens, at some point, in the relatively near future. Mainly because what the Houston Texans have done and what Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans have established is a team that takes care of their stars. Every negotiation is a battle, but if you look at what the Texans have done, they have paid their guy.”

“…they make it a priority to reward the guys who should be rewarded. You look across that defense, and they got a lot of guys who are really good [and] who are going to make a lot of money. I would expect Will Anderson to be first, and I would expect him to be very, very worth it.”

Anderson has already been very, very worth it. The former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year added another Pro Bowl to his resume in 2025 along with a first-team All-Pro selection. Unfortunately for Stroud, he’s not enjoying the same success.

C.J. Stroud may have to wait

Although Stroud also won rookie of the year honors, he’s been chasing that standard of success since then. His completion percentage has held around 63 percent. But, his passing yards and touchdowns have gone down while his interceptions went up.

Stroud also added injury to insult in 2025, missing three games. But most important of all, he struggled in both Texans playoff games. And, he was a primary factor in the team going home vs. the New England Patriots.

Stroud threw four interceptions to just one touchdown in a game only decided by 12 points.

All this culminates in Stroud having to wait for a new deal, and it may be his camp not the Texans looking to hold off on negotiating.

“Now, as far as C.J. Stroud goes, I wouldn’t be surprised if that waits a year just to let him have a little better year under his belt before he negotiates,” Rapoport concluded.

Stroud may be staring down the barrel of a prove-it year or at the very least, the Texans picking up his fifth-year option. But with the uncertainty around Stroud at the moment, they may not even wish to commit to that.

As the Texans head into the 2026 offseason, a 2023 draft that was supposed to land them two cornerstones has only yielded one so far.