Some people around the NFL enter 2026 with more at stake than others, with many players on one-year deals or limited guarantees and coordinators or assistants a single poor season from unemployment, according to ESPN. One recent piece identified 23 people around the league whose careers could sharply diverge based on the upcoming campaign.
C.J. Stroud stands out as the player with perhaps the widest range of outcomes, according to ESPN. The fourth-year Texans quarterback has a chance to reach an unprecedented pay level if things go perfectly, but there is also a scenario in which he is competing for his job or playing elsewhere in 2027.
Stroud’s postseason performance has dominated offseason discussion. ESPN reports he turned the ball over seven times across two playoff games, a span that overshadowed a regular-season showing that kept Houston among the AFC contenders. That January run left fans and observers comparing Houston to other teams that advanced with steadier quarterback play and turnover control.
During the 2025 regular season Stroud posted a 61.7 QBR, which ranked 11th in the league and placed him ahead of quarterbacks such as Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix, according to ESPN. That production came amid inconsistent offensive line play and a struggling run game, issues that have dogged the Texans during Stroud’s first three NFL seasons.
General manager Nick Caserio has again made changes at both running back and along the offensive line, ESPN notes, and questions remain about the immediate help available to Stroud. Veterans Braden Smith and Wyatt Teller have not secured starting roles, Smith could miss weeks with a plantar fascia injury, new lead back David Montgomery arrives from a much more run-friendly environment, and wideout Jayden Higgins is out for the year after tearing an ACL. The Texans acquired Kayshon Boutte, who will need to learn the offense quickly, per ESPN.
Despite the concerns around the offense, ESPN adds that Houston returns virtually everyone of note on an elite defense and should view 2026 as a season in which Super Bowl contention is realistic. Still, the Texans’ outlook carries undeniable anxiety centered on Stroud’s performance.
