The Dallas Cowboys have been known by the moniker of “America’s Team” since the 1970s, but there is a new hot, trendy team in the Lone Star State, the Houston Texans. The Texans, who are about 40 years younger than the Cowboys as a franchise, have the National Football League’s top selling jersey, the #7 of C.J. Stroud. Yes, according to the NFLPA, the top selling jersey from March 1 to May 31 belonged to C.J. Stroud, the #2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.
Stroud led the NFL in passing yards per game and touchdown pass-to-interception ratio last season as a rookie, joining Tom Brady (the G.O.A.T.) and Joe Montana (who was the G.O.A.T. until Brady came along) as the only quarterbacks to ever lead the league in both statistical categories in the same season.
“He’s not just a quarterback,” Hannah McNair, wife of Texans Principal Owner Cal McNair, is quoted in RG. “He’s a leader. When you have that high-caliber quarterback, the only way to be great and be great for a long time, is to have a leader at that quarterback spot.”
Stroud looks to be the real deal, truly the next big thing, and once his rookie contract expires, he could be in line to become the first recipient of a billion dollar contract. Yes, billion with a b, as you’ve seen just how insane the inflation rate has been for franchise signal callers in recent years.
C.J. Stroud, at least so far, looks more the part than the other two franchise signal callers in Texans history, David Carr and Deshaun Watson.
And looking back at the history of the Texans drafting signal callers in the first round, they certainly made the right call in 2014, when they had the #1 overall pick. Blake Bortles was the choice of then owner Bob McNair, while Johnny Manziel was the choice of then coach Bill O’Brien. Both didn’t do much in the NFL, and the Texans instead went with Jadeveon Clowney, a tour de force of a DE.
Stroud is the franchise now, and football observers have known just how special he is since his college days.
“From a standpoint of quarterback play, I’m not sure there’s anybody playing better than C.J. Stroud right now in the country,” said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said ahead of his side’s November 2022 matchup against the Buckeyes.
“I haven’t seen every game like you all probably have; just going through and perusing things, I have obviously focused on our opponent and how we go about our routine, but he’s been in a lot of crossover tape. He’s just been so efficient and so explosive.”
The first Top 50 list of 2024 is here and there’s a new No. 1??.
We’ve got the official list of all licensed #NFL player product from March-May 2024 and everything you need to know about it is right here: https://t.co/M1wyhzIebt pic.twitter.com/0KmpVoFLQY
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) September 18, 2024
Added NU DL Duke Olges:
“He’s a very consistent player. He makes hard throws look easy. When you’re watching him, it’s almost like watching an NFL tape. He’s a very talented player. He’s a guy that just goes out there and executes. His consistency and his talent just takes him and separates him from everybody else.”
C.J. Stroud helped lead the Texans from the absolute dregs of the NFL in 2022 to the postseason in 2023. Perhaps he can lead them to an AFC Championship game appearance this season? If so, it would mark the first in club history.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.