The two quarterbacks taken at the top of the 2023 NFL draft have traveled very different roads, and that gap is now showing up in the contract conversation.
Carolina paid a steep price to move up to No. 1 and take Bryce Young, the Alabama star and 2021 Heisman Trophy winner. A few minutes later, Houston answered by selecting Ohio State’s C.J.
Stroud. Since then, their early careers have unfolded in sharply different ways.
Young’s rookie year was a grind from start to finish. He started all but one game for a Panthers team that went 2-15, completing 59.8 percent of his passes for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was under constant pressure, taking 62 sacks, and he lost six of his 11 fumbles.
Stroud, by contrast, came in and immediately looked like the real thing. In 15 starts, he completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 4,108 yards, with 23 touchdown passes against just five interceptions.
He also added 167 rushing yards and three scores. The Texans won the AFC South, and Stroud collected NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors along with a Pro Bowl nod.
He was sacked 38 times and lost only four of eight fumbles.
Young has since taken steps forward over the past two seasons and helped Carolina win the NFC South in 2025. Stroud has had his share of ups and downs lately, but Houston has still reached the playoffs in each of his three seasons. That progress led both teams to pick up the fifth-year options on their young quarterbacks.
Now the focus has shifted to the next financial step. ESPN’s NFL Nation writers examined each team and the player most likely to be extended, and both quarterbacks were part of the discussion.
Dan Graziano noted that Carolina is willing to talk about a deal for Young, saying, “The Panthers are open to the idea of an extension for Young,” and adding that “they continue to say they believe in him as their long-term franchise QB. But they aren't in a hurry to do a deal, and it's possible this doesn't happen until next offseason…”
Graziano also pointed to the Texans’ stance on Stroud, writing, “But with Houston seemingly in no hurry with Young's 2023 draftmate C.J. Stroud,” he added, “there’s no rush to jump the market and do a Young deal without seeing more.”
Houston’s wait-and-see approach is backed up by what happened in the postseason. Stroud had a rough playoff run in the split with the Steelers and Patriots, completing only 51.9 percent of his throws for 462 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions, including four picks against New England. He was sacked three times in both games, and at Pittsburgh he fumbled five times, losing two of them.
DJ Bien-Aime reported that “Stroud and the Texans aren't close to a deal as of late June,” and described the situation by saying, “Houston and its quarterback are in a tricky spot because last season did not end the way either would’ve preferred…” He added that “it's gearing up to be a prove-it season for Stroud.”
For now, both quarterback situations are worth tracking closely. The only question is how long that tracking lasts.
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