There are a handful of teams you could say have been in quarterback purgatory for the vast majority of their existence, and here we are, once again talking about that very position with the Cleveland Browns.
Without opening past wounds, we'll just say that the Browns still have no idea who their franchise quarterback is. The current room, as it is, likely doesn't have that guy. We'll just put it that way.
But, there might just be a trade opportunity coming in the near future. Now, this is all whispering and rumors at this point, but ESPN's Todd McShay had something interesting to say on a recent podcast episode. It appears Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud could be involved in trade discussions.
“But the intriguing stuff, I’m told, don’t be surprised in the next couple weeks, as we get closer and closer to free agency, there’s going to be some big-name quarterbacks that are currently in destinations, that have contracts that are going to be targeted. Teams are going to be aggressive. C.J. [Stroud’s] one of them.”
C.J. Stroud should be a very real option for the Browns if he winds up being a trade candidate
First of all, the thought that Houston could wind up trading Stroud is, at first, shocking. But, he is now entering Year 4 and the Texans have to start thinking about an extension. After the way last season ended, Houston is in a bit of a pickle. How can they justify paying top dollar to a quarterback who looked, well, pretty awful in the postseason?
On the other hand, Stroud has proven to be a very serviceable quarterback in this league through three years. The Browns would have killed to be the ones to draft him three years ago, and that's a fact.
He's done some good things. He's also proven to be less than capable of being the guy who can win when it matters most. The postseason hasn't been kind to him; elite defense on the other side or not. Stroud's 2025 postseason saw him finish with a rating of just 37.4, tossing two touchdowns versus five picks.
He wasn't good, to put it simply.
Meanwhile, the Texans won the three games started by Davis Mills while Stroud was injured. So, that has to count for something.
If the Texans surprisingly chose to move forward with Mills and opt to trade Stroud's rookie contract, the Browns should at least enter the chat.
Cleveland would have two years to decide whether they wanted to pay him, counting his fifth-year option. Dealing for Stroud would at least give this team a capable starter over the likes of Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Deshaun Watson.
Ugh, Watson. He'll apparently be in the mix, once again, until the Browns can officially cut ties. But, that's another story entirely.
Let's say Cleveland could get Stroud for their later first-round pick (No. 24 via Jacksonville) and a Day 2 pick in 2027. Would Houston do it? Who knows.
But, Cleveland should smash the accept button if that was on the table. We'll have to see if Stroud, in fact, gets thrown into trade discussions, and what Houston is looking for if he does.