How Rich Is Texans Quarterback CJ Stroud?

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud enjoyed immediate success in the NFL, and was given a hefty payday right from the jump. Stroud's jaw-dropping on-field play was made more impressive considering the difficulties he faced as a teenager, where his father was sent to prison and given a 38-years-to-life sentence. "I was hopeless for a little while," the NFL star told the Associated Press (via the Portland Press Herald) in January when speaking about the adversity he faced. "I didn't know if I was gonna make it out or be anything," Stroud added. Despite the personal strife, Stroud was able to shine on the football field in both college and the pros.

After being selected No. 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft, Stroud was able to help turn the Texans franchise around, but before he even stepped on the gridiron the quarterback was given a four-year $36.3 million contract which he signed in July 2023. Even though he was only given a salary of $750,000 for his rookie year in the 2023 season, the team awarded Stroud with a $23 million signing bonus. According to Spotrac, his salary would jump to nearly $2.4 million in 2024, then to $4 million in 2025, and then almost $5.7 million for the last year of the contract.

The numbers got even sweeter because thanks to state taxes in Texas, Stroud would likely take home pay even greater than Bryce Young's, the number one overall pick in the draft, per Yahoo! Sports. Stroud's contract numbers do not tell the whole story of how much the NFL player is worth.

Before getting drafted into the NFL, C.J. Stroud played for Ohio State University as one of the country's best quarterbacks. During his time as a Buckeye, Stroud raked in multiple name-image-likeness (NIL) deals. "It's definitely changed my life for the future, and I think it's a jump-start to being a businessman before you get to the NFL," he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in September 2022. Being able to earn money off NIL deals in college was a fairly new rule which made Stroud grateful. "I feel bad for the older players that didn't have the opportunity to get money from this ... They should have made a killing," Stroud added.

While at OSU, one of the more eye-catching NIL deals Stroud signed was with a car dealership in Canton. In exchange for promoting their dealership, Sarchione Auto Gallery leased the NCAA athlete with a Bentley Bentayga worth $150,000 in July 2022, per the Columbus Dispatch.

Earlier in the year, Stroud inked a deal to become a style ambassador for the clothing company Express in April 2022. Just before the season started in September of that year, the quarterback gifted his teammates $500 gift cards to buy new suits at the clothing store. "Make sure you're looking fly. Make sure we all look like a team," Stroud said in a video posted by the Buckeyes' X, formerly Twitter, account. The endorsement deals were great, but it was not all smooth sailing at OSU for Stroud.

Being the quarterback on one of the nation's most high-profile football teams came with a lot of scrutiny, so C.J. Stroud decided to go dark on social media during the season. Following his last year at Ohio State University, Stroud spoke about how intense the Buckeyes fans could be. "It's a two-way street. We're all humans and [some] people tell you they don't care, they're blocking it out," Stroud said on "The Jim Rome Show" in February 2023 (via Saturday Tradition). Even though he stayed off social media, fans still found a way to troll him online. "I was getting DMs — I don't have social media during the season — I was getting DMs on Venmo, the money app through fans telling me to play better," Stroud said, while adding that he learned to take the trolling in stride.

Stroud's maturity in dealing with both on-field and off-the-field issues may have been a surprise to some, but Snoop Dogg of all people was a long-time believer in the quarterback. "I love the fact that he's always been the underdog that turned into the wonderdog," Snoop said while appearing on "Inside the NFL" in December 2023 (via Sports Rush). The rapper had good reason to believe in Stroud because he coached the Houston Texans star when in youth football. "C.J. has always been a stand-up kind of kid. He's always been a leader," Snoop added.