Texans named top landing spot for $255 million 25-TD Eagles star QB

“Think of it this way, (Texans general manager) Nick Caserio and (Texans head coach) DeMeco Ryans finally come to the realization that C.J. Stroud is not the right guy for them,” Kapadia said Thursday.

“And they start looking at Hurts and thinking ‘steady, doesn’t make mistakes, just what we need’ and a deal starts to get in the works. They look at Hurts and think, hey, he’s a Houston guy, he’s a Houston native, he’s tough-minded like Ryans, he’s perfect for us.”

Kapadia’s hypothetical trade idea hinges on both Hurts and Stroud continuing to regress with their respective franchises.

While completing 294 passes for 3,224 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only six interceptions doesn’t constitute a terrible season, there's no question that Hurts’ inability to read the field and survey all of his options before tucking and running made the Eagles’ offense more predictable than ever (the Eagles averaged 22.3 points per game last year, which ranked 19th in the league).

Stroud’s 2025-26 struggles had more to do with his tendency to crumble under pressure and failure to complete routine throws with his feet set.

The Ohio State product finished the year with 273 completions for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions on a Texans squad that could have pulled off an AFC Divisional round win over the New England Patriots with cleaner quarterback play (Stroud tossed four interceptions and missed 27 throws in Houston’s season-ending 28-16 loss).

A blockbuster Hurts-Stroud swap isn’t in the cards right now, but things could get interesting next offseason depending on how the former first-round picks perform going forward.

More NFL:

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