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C.J. Stroud inks fully-guaranteed rookie contract with Houston Texans

IMG_7408by:Andy Backstrom•07/24/23•

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C.J. Stroud by Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud drops back to pass during Houston Texans minicamp. (Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports)

COLUMBUS — Former Ohio State star quarterback C.J. Stroud is officially under contract in the NFL.

Stroud, the highest-drafted signal caller in Buckeyes history, went No. 2 over to the Houston Texans in this year’s NFL Draft. He finally signed his rookie contract with the Texans Monday.

The deal spans four years and is worth $36.3 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

The contract features a $23.38 million signing bonus that Stroud gets right away. That’s something that Houston hasn’t done before, according to Rapoport and Pelissero.

Stroud, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist at Ohio State, has been turning heads since he arrived in Houston.

Veteran NFL signal caller Case Keenum, now a Texans backup, said, had he not known, he would have thought Stroud would have “been a four-, five-year vet.” Current Texans, and former Buckeyes, wideout Noah Brown said Stroud has all the potential to live up to, or maybe even surpass, the talent of a quarterback like Dak Prescott, who Brown played with the last five seasons.

Plus, Texans free safety Jimmie Ward told Jim Rome: “He’s a ballplayer, I’ll tell you that. … It’s amazing to me to see it, a guy so young to come and get some reps versus the ones and make great throws.”

And, most recently, Houston left tackle Laremy Tunsil joined The Pat McAfee Show and stacked one more compliment onto Stroud’s growing laundry list of player references.

“He handles himself well,” Tunsil said. “He came in the building with these unbelievable leadership skills, and he’s killing it, man. How I describe C.J.? Dog. He’s a straight dog. He comes in there ready to work, he handles the huddle perfectly and he go out there and balls, man. You’ve got to appreciate that, especially in a young quarterback like C.J.”

This all comes after Stroud had to deal with pre-draft criticism surrounding his reported low S2 Cognition test scores. If the Texans picking him No. 2 overall didn’t wash away that narrative already, his early signs of leadership and quarterback stardom are forging a more representative portrait of the player he is.

Stroud hasn’t been named the Texans’ starting quarterback yet, but signs point to him claiming that role before the start of the season.

He posted an 85:12 touchdown-to-interception ratio while quarterbacking the Buckeyes. Although he never beat Michigan or won a College Football Playoff game in his two years as Ohio State’s starter, he plastered his name into the program record books and inspired, on and off the field.

Now, he’s getting paid for the value he brings at the next level — as the face of the Houston Texans.

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