C.J. Stroud’s first season with the Houston Texans went much better than many predicted heading into the year.
The Texans not only made the playoffs but also won a playoff game in Stroud’s rookie campaign.
Stroud established himself as the leader of this team, and he has gained the respect of his teammates.
He also played well enough to warrant the team spending $36 million on Dalton Schultz, who ended up being one of Stroud’s favorite targets in 2023.
As Ian Rapoport points out, Schultz recently appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss this contract.
At the end of the day, in Schultz’s mind: “The focus is just football, you know what I mean?”
#Texans TE Dalton Schultz, fresh off signing a 3-year, $36M contract, joined @PatMcAfeeShow to discuss why he only wanted to stay with Houston:
“The focus is just football, you know what I mean?”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2024
Getting a contract for more than $30 million is no small feat.
This life-changing money will allow Schultz to help his family and start building generational wealth.
However, as he points out, his journey with the Texans isn’t only about the money.
He seems to believe in Stroud and what he can do with this organization and wants to be a part of that for the foreseeable future.
If Stroud played that well in Year 1, there’s no telling how high the team’s ceiling can be over the next several years.
The Texans haven’t had an established quarterback since Deshaun Watson left, but Stroud could provide that kind of stability and upside for the franchise.
If the team keeps surrounding him with great skill-position players to work with, there’s no telling what their ceiling can be moving forward.
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