C.J. Stroud did not waste much time to prove himself in Houston Texans. His 470 passing yards against Tampa Bay are the most in franchise history through four quarters. Stroud also became the first rookie in NFL history to pass for at least 470 yards in a single game. But maybe these stats are not enough, as Stroud lost that spark over time. For Texans legend Andre Johnson, Stroud gets a zero on body language. 

“His body language is bad,” Johnson said on the LGND Talk Podcast on September 15.  “And I don’t know, like, I think as a, me being a former player, your quarterback having that type of body language is bad because other guys look at you as the quarterback. So when they see you, and they see you feeling a certain way, or your body language a certain way, it kind of trickles through the team. So, I would say that’s the biggest thing that bothers me. Like, when I watch, when I watch the team play.”

Yes, Stroud is the same quarterback who is the first rookie in NFL history to throw for 300-or-more yards in four straight games. With 35 pass attempts against Atlanta on Oct. 8, 2023, Stroud reached 186 career attempts without an interception to begin his NFL career, breaking Dak Prescott’s previous record of 176. But all these records take a back seat when it comes to how Stroud represents himself in front of others. 

Johnson’s scathing review came after the Texans’ Week 1 loss (36-31) to the Buffalo Bills. Stroud completed 26 of 38 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Houston’s final possession reached the Buffalo 9-yard line before Stroud was brought down for two sacks in three plays. The second sack ended with his second lost fumble of the game, adding to a recurring turnover problem in critical moments. Stroud turned the ball over seven times in two playoff games last postseason.

Not to forget, a big part of the Week 1 game was Stroud being able to prove the doubters wrong. 

“C.J. Stroud is not it, bro. He’s not it,” the former NBA center Kendrick Perkins back in October last year. “He’s not that quarterback that’s gonna take the Texans and Texans fanbase to the promised land. From his rookie season to now, has he gone forward or backward? He’s regressed.”

Then came the playoffs of last offseason. A lot of criticism was centered more on Stroud’s emotional reactions during difficult moments. The 28-16 playoff loss to New England served as a notable example. Stroud was intercepted four times in the first half. He went 20-of-47 for 212 yards and one touchdown, but his lone scoring pass was overshadowed by four interceptions. Obviously, he felt like the golden opportunity slipped away from his hands. 

With the Texans’ comeback hopes fading by the minute, ESPN cameras captured Stroud sitting quietly on the sideline, his gaze locked on the field and his face betraying the weight of the moment. While it was hard for Stroud to accept, critics like Johnson try to highlight the lack of sportsmanship.

After all, quarterbacks are the anchors of a team. If they break emotionally, the team falls apart. 

Stroud has shown emotional vulnerability not just during the playoff heartbreak. Back in December, 2024, Texans receiver Tank Dell suffered a scary season-ending injury against the Kansas City Chiefs. Since the quarterback shared a strong bond with Dell, he could no longer control his emotions and started crying. According to analysts, it can create a trickle-down effect. In short, the negative energy can spread to the rest of the team. After drawing public criticism for that outburst, he also addressed it. 

“It was not easy for me to sit there and be emotional,” Stroud said. “But it’s something that we’ve all went through in life. It’s easy to be a fake tough guy. It’s easy to go through life acting like everything doesn’t affect you. But deep down, we all know we’re going through something.”

As the “body language” debate continues, contract extension talks are on the table. 

Extension discussions are scheduled to resume in 2026, with Stroud entering the final year of his rookie deal (four-year, $36.28 million), giving him a chance to bet on himself. Houston has already picked up his $25.9 million fully guaranteed fifth-year option for 2027. Caserio previously said the Texans would table extension talks once Week 1 arrived and resume discussions next year.

All we know is that Stroud has shown his willingness to stay in the long run in Houston. But given the rapidly rising quarterback market, it is time to see how far the Texans are willing to go, with some issues still lingering about Stroud.  

A strong 2026 campaign could benefit Stroud when it comes time to negotiate his next deal, no matter where the numbers ultimately land. Even if the season does not go as expected, he has the $25.9 million fully guaranteed fifth-year option for 2027 to come back and prove himself again.