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.
