Colin Cowherd isn’t lumping C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young into the same conversation when it comes to quarterback money.
On a recent episode of The Herd, Cowherd made it plain that he sees the Houston Texans quarterback as the kind of player you pay without blinking, while the Carolina Panthers quarterback lands in a much more cautious bucket.
“There’s two levels of franchise quarterbacks,” Cowherd explained. “I’d absolutely pay C.J.
Stroud whatever I had to. I would struggle to pay Bryce Young what he wants.”
That’s the heart of Cowherd’s argument, and it starts with what Stroud has done in Houston. He pointed to the Texans’ offensive line issues, the lack of a steady running game, and a coaching setup built around defense as reasons Stroud deserves extra credit. Even with those obstacles, Cowherd noted, Stroud has helped Houston get to the playoffs and win postseason games in each of his first three NFL seasons.
Cowherd also leaned on the traits that make Stroud such an easy investment in his eyes: the physical tools, the arm talent, and the ability to make plays inside the Texans’ offense. That combination, he said, puts Stroud in a small group of quarterbacks he would sign without worrying too much about the price tag.
Young, by contrast, is in Cowherd’s second tier of franchise quarterbacks - the ones who require more thought before the check is written.
He did acknowledge a couple of things in Young’s favor, including his mobility and the chance to play in a weaker division. Even so, Cowherd still stopped short of saying he’d be comfortable handing the Panthers quarterback the kind of contract he could eventually command.
The comparison carries extra weight because both quarterbacks came out of the same 2023 NFL Draft class. Young went first overall, Stroud went second, and both have had their share of highs and lows. Cowherd’s point is that their futures should be valued differently.
That makes the contract picture one to watch for both teams. Stroud’s next payday in Houston and Young’s situation in Carolina could become major storylines as their careers move forward.
For Cowherd, though, the line is already drawn: Stroud gets the big-money vote of confidence. Young does not.
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