You know, looking at the box score after a Houston Texans game usually tells you half the story. If you just glance at the yardage, you’re missing the actual gravity of what’s happening in Houston. Honestly, it’s rare to see a guy step into the league and immediately look like he’s been there for a decade, but that is exactly what CJ Stroud did.
As of January 2026, the numbers are officially in for his third regular season. They’re kind of staggering.
Breaking Down the CJ Stroud Career Stats
Let’s get the raw data out of the way first. Through the end of the 2025 regular season, Stroud has amassed 10,876 passing yards. To put that in perspective, he’s one of the few quarterbacks in history to clear the 10,000-yard milestone this quickly. He’s completed 928 of his 1,454 attempts, which sits him at a career 63.8% completion rate.
Consistency? Yeah, he’s got it.
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His touchdown-to-interception ratio is arguably the most impressive part of his resume. We’re looking at 62 passing touchdowns against just 25 interceptions. In a league where young QBs often throw "yolo" balls that end up in the hands of safeties, Stroud’s discipline is basically elite. His career passer rating is a cool 93.5. He isn't just a statue in the pocket, either; he’s added 609 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns over his first three years.
The Year-by-Year Progression
It's easy to forget how much pressure was on this guy when he was drafted second overall in 2023. Most people expected a "learning year." Instead, he gave us one of the greatest rookie campaigns ever.
In 2023, he threw for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns and only 5 picks. That 4.6 TD-to-INT ratio was unheard of for a rookie. It’s why he won Offensive Rookie of the Year in a landslide.
Then came 2024. Teams had tape on him. They started disguising coverages and bringing exotic blitzes. His yardage dipped slightly to 3,727 yards, and his interceptions jumped to 12, but he still led Houston to a 10-7 record and another playoff berth. It was a "grind" year, the kind of season that proves a quarterback can win when things aren't perfect.
The 2025 season saw him find a middle ground. He missed a few games—three to be exact—due to a concussion, but in his 14 starts, he was clinical. He finished with 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Most importantly, he officially passed John Elway for the second-most wins by a QB drafted in the top two spots over their first three seasons. He’s sitting on 27 career regular-season wins right now. Only Andrew Luck had more at this stage.
Why the Efficiency Matters More Than the Volume
A lot of guys can put up "garbage time" stats. If you're down by 20 in the fourth quarter, defenses play soft, and you can rack up 100 yards easily. Stroud doesn't do that.
He’s a "money throw" quarterback. According to advanced metrics from the 2025 season, his Adjusted Yards Per Attempt (AY/A) sits at a healthy 7.5. When you look at his situational stats, he’s particularly lethal on third down. In 2025, his success rate on third-and-long was among the top ten in the NFL.
He also holds the NFL record for the most pass attempts to start a career without an interception—192 attempts. Think about that. Nearly 200 throws into the pros before a defender caught one. That’s not luck; that’s a guy who sees the field in slow motion.
The College Foundation at Ohio State
You can’t talk about his NFL success without mentioning the video game numbers he put up in Columbus. At Ohio State, he threw for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns in just two seasons as a starter.
- 2021: 4,435 yards, 44 TDs, 6 INTs
- 2022: 3,688 yards, 41 TDs, 6 INTs
He left school with a career passer rating of 182.4. People used to say Ohio State QBs were "system products." Stroud basically shattered that narrative into a million pieces. He was the first player in Big Ten history to throw for six touchdowns in a single game three different times.
What Really Happened With the 2025 "Slump" Narrative?
There was some chatter mid-way through 2025 that Stroud was "regressing." Honestly? It was nonsense.
If you look at the game logs from October 2025, the Texans were dealing with a rotating door at offensive line. Stroud was getting pressured on nearly 35% of his dropbacks. His "Danger Plays" (throws that should have been intercepted) actually stayed low, but his time to throw increased because nobody was getting open.
When Nico Collins and Tank Dell were healthy and the line stabilized in December, he went on a tear. He finished the season with a 137.1 passer rating game against Arizona and a massive 318-yard performance against San Francisco. The "slump" was just a lack of help, not a lack of talent.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you are tracking Stroud for fantasy, betting, or just general football nerdery, keep these three things in mind for his 2026 outlook:
- Watch the Sack Rate: Stroud's efficiency is tied directly to his protection. In 2024, his sack rate spiked to over 8%, and his passer rating dropped to 87.0. In 2025, when his sack rate stayed under 5%, he looked like an MVP candidate again.
- Touchdown Regression: He’s currently averaging about 1.35 passing touchdowns per game. Expect this to rise as the Texans' run game (which was middle-of-the-pack in 2025) forces more single-high safety looks.
- Postseason Prowess: Stroud is already a "big game" hunter. Including his rookie year win over Cleveland and his 2024 performance, he’s proven that his stats don't shrink when the lights get brighter.
The trajectory is clear. CJ Stroud is no longer just a "promising young player." He’s a top-tier franchise cornerstone whose career stats are pacing toward a Hall of Fame conversation if he stays healthy.
For those looking to evaluate his future value, focus on his interception percentage. He has hovered around 1.7% for his career. As long as that number stays below 2.0%, the Houston Texans are going to remain a perennial playoff threat. Keep an eye on his completion percentage in the 10-19 yard range; that is where he truly separates himself from the rest of the league.