- 13 hours ago
ITL reacts to Stroud addressing his contract situation at OTAs.
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00:00Obviously, one of the things to come out of yesterday where we had our first media availability and boots on
00:06the ground was C.J. Stroud and his conversation with the media, specifically the last question where it just kind
00:15of worked out that way.
00:15It was the last question.
00:16It wasn't like he intentionally stormed off, but since it was the last question, it was kind of like a
00:19mic drop, like said his piece.
00:21I'm shocked it took that long to ask.
00:22I was too.
00:24Me too.
00:24Should have been one of the first ones.
00:26But they saved their best for last.
00:27And Stroud said his piece, which we'll hear from in a moment.
00:31But I'm curious, as the Texans fan and the listener out there, how does that quote sound to you?
00:37Do you agree or disagree with what Stroud is saying?
00:40And what do you think he actually is saying?
00:42Because there's been some disagreement over that.
00:45You know, we heard it live here on the air or played it as Stroud just after he spoke to
00:50the media yesterday.
00:51And we had our reactions to what Stroud said.
00:53But then I heard some pushback last night on Area 45 where they couldn't believe it was becoming a conversation
01:00about his contract.
01:01And even Seth.
01:03It's an asimine conversation.
01:04Exactly.
01:05It went sort of like that.
01:06Yeah.
01:07And even Seth this morning, I heard kind of, you know, like walk it back for lack of a better
01:12phrase and break down Stroud's words.
01:14So let's listen back to what C.J. Stroud said yesterday and then let's analyze exactly what Stroud was trying
01:21to say and then determine if we agree or disagree with what Stroud might be trying to get across.
01:27Here was C.J. Stroud yesterday when asked about the contract situation.
01:31Yeah, I mean, I let my agent handle it, you know, and, you know, if it's time to do it,
01:35then it is.
01:35If it's not, my job is football.
01:37So that's what I focus on is just getting better.
01:40And I bargained on that edge.
01:42So, you know, you know, you know, whatever happens, happens.
01:45You know, I'm excited to be a Texan this year and, you know, go from there.
01:48I mean, how else could you interpret it other than literally when it comes to football?
01:54And we have to sort of paraphrase it because he didn't quite word it the way the normal usage goes.
02:00That's driving you nuts, man.
02:01It's driving you nuts.
02:02You keep bringing it.
02:02You're the only person that brought that up.
02:04He said I held up my bargain, and it did make the hair on the back of my neck stand
02:11up a little bit, but I'm weird.
02:13You bring it up every time we bring this up.
02:15Well, just because people, because I think some people might say he didn't say that.
02:18Well, he didn't.
02:19But what he meant was I held up my end of the bargain.
02:22So even if you just literally say, like, play it again and just go once he says the football part,
02:28you know, I do football or whatever.
02:29You know, my job is football.
02:31Listen.
02:32Yeah, I mean, I let my agent handle it.
02:34You know, and, you know, if it's time to do it, then it is.
02:36If it's not, my job is football.
02:38So that's what I focus on is just getting better.
02:40And I think I've held my bargain up on that edge.
02:43So, you know, I'm, you know, you know, whatever happens, happens.
02:46You know, I'm excited to be a Texan this year and, you know, go from there.
02:49I just want to, you know, I just, my job is just to get better.
02:52I held up my end of the bargain on that.
02:54Right.
02:55How else are you supposed to interpret that?
02:57What are the other options?
02:59Because I don't know.
02:59Well, just speaking for the fellas of at least Area 45 and maybe some others online as well,
03:06they were saying it doesn't have to do with the contract or it wasn't like a plea to get paid.
03:11It was just as he was saying, hey, my job is just to get better over the course of my
03:15career.
03:16And I held, I've held up my end of the bargain on that.
03:19How do you get paid if you're here?
03:21By getting better?
03:22Yeah.
03:23So, yeah, I mean, there is no other, like, I actually, and that's on me.
03:27I wasn't listening to exactly what they said last night.
03:30You were.
03:30But if you're saying all he wants to do is get better at football, I held up my end of
03:35the bargain on that.
03:36That's how you get paid.
03:38And the question was about the contract.
03:42Somebody help.
03:43What else is there to interpret?
03:45No, I think it's clearly about, I think this was, I disagree with the take.
03:49And they were kind of besides themselves of like, why is everybody running with this, even national media?
03:53Like, why is everyone using this clip to make it a conversation about Stroud angling for a new contract?
03:58I think it is.
03:59And honestly, for me, the bigger thing isn't so much that part.
04:01If we want to pick apart the whole held up my end of the bargain, it's really what we focused
04:07more on yesterday
04:07was the end of the clip where he says, paraphrasing, like this year, quarterback of the Texans, this year.
04:14You have it?
04:14Oh, you want me to play it again?
04:15Just the end.
04:16Just the end.
04:17Because that made a lot of rounds as well.
04:20And I think I've held my bargain up on that edge.
04:22So, you know, whatever happens, happens.
04:25You know, I'm excited to be a Texan this year.
04:27And, you know, I'll go from there.
04:28I'm excited to be a Texan this year.
04:30Also, that whatever happens, happens.
04:31And we'll go from there.
04:32Yeah.
04:33Yeah.
04:33You know, which to me, and again, maybe I'm reading too much into it, but kind of signals like, hey,
04:37if things get messy, whatever happens, happens.
04:40If things get messy and I got to go elsewhere, that's how it plays out.
04:42And see, I feel like the other thing is, too, you know, Will Anderson was kind of in his boat,
04:47too, before he got paid.
04:48And I think, if I'm not mistaken, I think he might have been asked about it.
04:53And he sounded confident, like, hey, you know, just waiting on it to get done.
04:57He didn't say anything, like, you know, I held my bargain up with C.J. Shroud.
05:05He didn't say anything like, oh, we'll see, you know, or plan for the Texans this year.
05:11Right.
05:11And whatever happens, happens.
05:12Yeah.
05:12He sounded super confident.
05:14I think we was on these airways kind of doing the what-if game if he holds out, if he
05:18don't get the contract.
05:19And it didn't even sound right.
05:20But this one, it seemed like they didn't even have a conversation.
05:24Shoot, even Nico Collins earlier this week said, like, I love being a Texan.
05:28I want to spend my entire career here with the Texans.
05:30And he only has a contract for this season and next season, which is like Stroud.
05:35And even he was like, hey, I want to retire here.
05:37I love being a Texan.
05:37I hope to be a Texan my entire career.
05:39You know, again, maybe I'm being unfair.
05:41Maybe I'm nitpicking.
05:42But you could even say something like, hey, whatever happens, happens.
05:44But I'd love to spend my entire career with the Texans, something like that.
05:47Yeah.
05:47I think if he felt really confident about that, he'd be like, oh, I'm just letting my agent handle that.
05:52I want to be here for life.
05:53And, you know, I'm just focused on this season and all that type of stuff.
05:57It seemed like he left a lot of what-ifs, especially the more you play it.
06:01Yeah.
06:02To me, I just don't even see any other way to interpret that.
06:05And not that he's, you know, banging his fist on the table saying, pay me, or not that his
06:11actions are doing anything.
06:12Remember we talked about, will he even participate in OTAs just as a little statement?
06:16Well, of course, C.J. Stroud understands that he is on tenuous ground right now when it comes
06:23to public perception and fans and maybe even in the building.
06:27Who knows?
06:27So he's not going to do that.
06:29But what he can do is this.
06:31Like, hey, let the agent handle it.
06:32My job is football, held up my end of the bargain, we'll play this year and see what
06:37happens.
06:37I mean, that's what he said.
06:39Yeah.
06:40We're not making anything other than...
06:42It sounds like he got questions.
06:43It sounds like he's unsure.
06:44Yeah.
06:44It didn't sound like Will Anderson Jr. was unsure if he'd get a contract or not.
06:49Yeah.
06:49It didn't sound like that with Nico Collins.
06:51Yeah.
06:51To me, it sounds like he's really unsure.
06:53And he's telling everybody, hey, I did my part.
06:56So we'll see.
06:57I'm focused on being a Texan this year.
06:59And honestly, to me, I think the conversation's the same either way.
07:02However he meant it.
07:03If he did truly mean it in terms of, like, I held up my end, so pay me.
07:07Or if he meant, hey, my job is just to improve and get better.
07:10And I have held up my end.
07:12I think either way, we can have the conversation of, do you agree or disagree with that?
07:15Because those essentially go hand in hand.
07:17Do you believe that Stroud has gotten better and improved over the course of his three years
07:22and therefore is worthy of the big payday that he would love to get?
07:26I think that's the conversation we have with either meaning for those quotes.
07:31If you're saying, hey, he did not hold up his end of the bargain based on what we expected
07:36after his rookie year, we can have that conversation.
07:39And there are some gray areas and some nuance there, et cetera.
07:44Well, what about the playoffs and what about this?
07:46Look, we can talk about whether or not he did hold up his end of the bargain.
07:50Right.
07:51But in terms of what he said, what he believes, he said he did.
07:55And that only speaks to one thing.
07:57Like, he feels like he's done enough and whatever happens, happens.
08:01I mean, I'm not, I mean, these are his words.
08:04He sounds, to me, it sounds like a bridge quarterback on a one-year deal.
08:07And somebody asked him, hey, are you getting a contract extension?
08:11Yeah.
08:11And he said, hey, I held my end of the bargain up.
08:14So, you know, we'll see.
08:15Yeah.
08:15He sounds like a bridge quarterback.
08:17By the way, either way, I do disagree with.
08:20With Strauss, it says of holding up his end of the bargain.
08:23Right.
08:23But that's just me.
08:24On the text line, somebody did say his end of the deal, the bargain he's holding up,
08:29was to shut up and go with the flow and not complain.
08:32And he has definitely done that.
08:34So there is, you know, it's becoming this divisive thing.
08:38It's almost like that whole thing on the internet like a decade ago of like what color the dress was.
08:42Yeah.
08:42It's becoming this whole thing of like, what did you just hear?
08:45Is Strauss talking about just improving or was he kind of laying down the law a little bit in terms
08:50of a new contract?
08:52Either way, like I said, I still think it's sort of the same answer.
08:55Yeah.
08:56And it doesn't really matter.
08:57I am curious because I do feel like I'm not sitting there saying he did hold up his part so
09:02they need to pay him.
09:03Yeah.
09:03I do think he deserves some type of contract.
09:06I mean, maybe he's looking for $60 million a year.
09:09I'm not sure.
09:10But I do think he deserves some type of contract.
09:12I do think he played as a solid quarterback.
09:16So, like I said, it seemed like he just kind of went in and the Texans not really offering anything.
09:23Right.
09:23It'd be one thing if they, let's say they offered him $40 million a year or something.
09:27And he probably, I'm sure his agent would be like, hell no.
09:31But I wonder if they even offered them anything or is this truly a prove-it year?
09:35Well, as I mentioned, I know they've had to have had conversations.
09:39I mean, there's no way you just like don't even talk about it.
09:41You know, whether it was the agent initiating or Casario initiating, there has to have been conversation.
09:48But if they did, do you feel like he would be a little more confident though?
09:51No, but the conversation might be part of the reason he's saying I held up my end of the bargain
09:56because maybe the conversation, it didn't advance to the place that they wanted.
10:00He wanted it.
10:01Yeah.
10:02Let's see.
10:03On the text line, another person weighing in.
10:05I think CJ, a lot of people weighing in.
10:07But this one, I think CJ is saying he's there this year at OTAs and that's his part of the
10:12deal right now.
10:14That's him holding up his end of the bargain currently.
10:16So, that's another take on it.
10:19And let's see.
10:20Somebody said, I lost the text now.
10:24But these texts keep pouring in.
10:26But somebody was making the point of, oh, here it is.
10:31All he did was state the obvious.
10:32You're making too much of it.
10:34I don't think it was obvious.
10:35That's the second part of this conversation that we don't have enough time to dive into right now.
10:39But as I've been saying, I don't agree with his take either way.
10:43It's why I've been on the side of the Texans.
10:45If I was Nick Casario, I wouldn't hand him the big contract yet either.
10:48So, I don't think he is stating the obvious.
10:51I don't think he has done enough so far to warrant the contract.
10:53No, if we're talking about that, I agree with you.
10:55Right.
10:56I totally, like, I would sit here and say, no, man.
10:58So, what's a good contract that you would be comfortable giving him?
11:02Oh, me?
11:03Yeah, I'm just kind of curious.
11:06Because I wouldn't be comfortable with $60 million a year.
11:08Oh, hell no.
11:09Yeah, so what's the number you'd be like, all right.
11:11If you...
11:12If he take $45 a year, would you be...
11:15That's even a little high.
11:16I think that's too high for me.
11:17Yeah, that's even a little high.
11:18For CJ?
11:20I'm pulling up the quarterback contracts right now just so I can have a frame of reference.
11:23But here's the thing.
11:24Like, you asked the question for me to be comfortable.
11:27Yeah.
11:27Based on everything we've seen.
11:28And a lot of it has been good, obviously, if you look at advanced stats and all that stuff.
11:32But clearly, a lot of it has been bad, especially in big moments.
11:35I would say somewhere between $35 and $40.
11:38But here's the thing.
11:38That's me comfortable.
11:39They would throw it in my face.
11:43Let's say he get paid a Baker Mayfield type of contract.
11:46Would you be comfortable him getting paid...
11:48What's Baker, $45?
11:50$40 something?
11:51I think so.
11:52Yeah.
11:53I think so.
11:53Would you be comfortable if he was making what Baker Mayfield is making?
11:56I would feel like I'm stealing, you know, at least in terms of if he does improve, then
12:01it could just blow up in your face, too.
12:03That's the problem.
12:04That's why I'm comfortable.
12:05What I'm comfortable with and what they're comfortable with are two totally different
12:07things.
12:08Baker, according to Over the Cap, is $40 million for cash spent for this upcoming year.
12:14I thought it was about $40 million.
12:14Trevor Lawrence, $37 million.
12:17So, yeah, I would say somewhere in that area.
12:19I think that's the company he keeps.
12:21I think that's fair.
12:22I would sign him up for that one.
12:23If I threw that at him and he said, yeah, let's go, I would sign it in a heartbeat.
12:30I'm just not sure about the $60 million.
12:33And Trevor...
12:34No, I agree.
12:34Trevor Lawrence is scheduled to be the 13th highest paid quarterback in the league this
12:38year.
12:38C.J. Stroud was 13th in quarterback rating last year.
12:41So that seems pretty much in line.
12:42So I would say like that $35 million.
12:44And to be fair, I think he's kind of in that company.
12:46Right now, yeah.
12:47Yeah.
12:47But his agent doesn't.
12:49That's what I'm saying.
12:50They throw it in our face.
12:51I'd sign up for $35 to $40 million right now.
12:53See, if that was the issue, then I understand why we, you know, holding out.
12:58But I just, yeah, I don't know, man.
13:01Yeah, on the text line, someone said $35 million a year.
13:03Yeah, I mean, $35 to $40.
13:05I think that's an appropriate range for him so far based off of what we've seen.
13:08If he goes out there and balls out this year, then obviously his value goes up and we
13:13can have a different conversation.
13:14But as we currently sit here today, that's where I would be if I'm Nick Casario.
13:17$35 to $40 million range.
13:19As somebody else said, he deserves not a mark-setting deal.
13:22Yeah, agreed.
13:23That's where I'm at with you.
13:24Yeah.
13:24Yeah, that's the problem.
13:25All these quarterbacks want to be the highest paid quarterback.
13:28That's just, I think that'd be crazy at this point.
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