HOUSTON -- Quarterback C. J. Stroud sported a large white T-shirt and baggy gray shorts as he drove to Reliant Stadium around 7 a.m. on July 28.

He casually strolled into the Houston Texans' facility, reporting for his fourth training camp while the team's social media crew recorded his arrival. Minutes later, they posted the video on X, and the clip spread like a contagion across social media -- generating over 20 million views and sparking feedback about Stroud's "back-to-school" look. Stroud, who has family and close friends run his accounts, tries to avoid scrolling on social media, but even a post from "Maxisnicee," who reenacted Stroud's training camp entrance, got a reaction out of Stroud -- who posted laughing emojis under the Instagram video. "Max, that's my boy.

I was tired," Stroud told ESPN with a laugh. "I was focused on doing my job and getting better that day, not what I was wearing. Sometimes you can't in life be super hard on yourself. ... I laugh at a lot of stuff because it's funny."Although the entrance to the building inspired jokes, the fact remains that Stroud is entering a pivotal Year 4.

He hopes to play well enough to wash away the memories of last year's playoff struggles. According to De Meco Ryans, the offseason and training camp were an excellent start -- with the Texans' coach saying Stroud "handled himself tremendously." "He's done a really good job of commanding the offense," Ryans said. "Great job of communicating with everyone, offensive line, receivers, tight ends, running backs. He's done a great job just having all those guys together, leading, speaking up in meetings, doing all those things you expect from your starting quarterback."That's Step 1 for Stroud, whose contract situation has been a talking point this offseason, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday that "the current sentiment is Stroud will most likely not end up with a new deal" before Sunday's season opener.

All of that should become clear this week after a deadline was set. "If we don't get it figured out before the season starts, then it'll be something we address in the offseason," general manager Nick Caserio said. The season starts against the Buffalo Bills, and according to league sources, both sides are content with Stroud's lack of a contract extension. It gives the Texans an extra year of evaluation and allows Stroud to bet on himself.

Houston picked up Stroud's fifth-year option of his rookie deal in April, so he's still under contract in 2027. If he can get back to the trajectory he showed as a rookie, he could eventually sign a record-setting deal. Houston has shown that it will invest in its players, resetting the market with cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (2025), and Will Anderson Jr. this offseason, which made him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.

It's not a secret, however, that if Stroud struggles, questions about his future in Houston will continue. "Pressure is a privilege," Stroud said. "I'm excited. I've always been challenged in my career. I've always had to persevere through things, and I think this is something that I'm grateful for.

I didn't wake up and forget how to play football."A DOWNPOUR of scrutiny has rained down on Stroud since the Texans' season-ending loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs. His four-interception performance (all in the first half) birthed offseason chatter ranging from whether Houston should trade him or pay him. Criticism isn't rare to Stroud, having learned to deal with it since his days at Ohio State.

He has developed ways to ignore the noise, but something as simple as picking up his phone can open a gateway to negativity...