Will the Texans extend C.J. Stroud & seal the deal? Or part ways?

A hot topic of conversation since the Houston Texans lost to the New England Patriots in the NFL playoffs is whether or not the Texans will extend C.J. Stroud and how much faith they have in him to warrant a hefty contract. ESPN's Dan Graziano spoke about Stroud, saying, "To be clear: I have not heard one single indication that the Texans are planning to do anything other than extend Stroud as soon as they can," Graziano wrote. "That's almost certainly what will happen. But are we 100 percent sure it should?"

Skeptics have snuck in since it appears C.J. Stroud may lose confidence in big games and in getting this team over the hump for a deep run. The Texans are the only team in the NFL to have never played in a conference championship game. Since Stroud's rookie season, he hasn't looked quite the same when it comes to crucial games. In the most recent playoff appearance against the Patriots, he struggled mightily.

"I'm not saying Stroud is no good," Graziano also wrote. "He's 24 years old. His rookie season might have set too high a standard for him to live up to in his second and third years. And he could recover from Sunday and have a Hall of Fame career. All I'm saying is, there's no reason to hurry here. Stroud is signed through 2026, and the Texans have a team option for 2027 that's a no-brainer to pick up. They could theoretically franchise-tag him in 2028 and 2029 if needed.

The Texans will more than likely wait until after Stroud's fourth season next year to make any decision, but a conversation will be worth having if he isn't able to improve upon his play in the clutch. Teams have been far too quick to lock down mediocre quarterbacks recently, and this decision could be vital to the Texans organization in the future.

Stroud will need to maximize his potential throughout the offseason and next year to shape what the future may hold for him as an NFL starting QB.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Will the Texans extend C.J. Stroud & seal the deal? Or part ways?