Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had a meteoric rise to prominence as a record-setting rookie back in 2023.
That season, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just five interceptions with a 100.8 passer rating while leading the Texans to a 10-7 record, a division championship, and playoff appearance.
He broke rookie records for most pass attempts without an interception to start a career (191), most games with 350 or more passing yards (three), most single-game passing yards (470), most single-game passing touchdowns (five), and he became the youngest starting QB to win a playoff game (22 years, three months and 10 days).
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Stroud also finished with the third-most passing yards by a rookie, behind only Andrew Luck (4,374) and Justin Herbert (4,336).
In the two years since, Stroud has led Houston to a 22-12 record, another division title, two more playoff appearances, and two playoff wins.
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Many credit much of his success to quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, but in a stunning move that came as a surprise to many, the Texans fired Johnson on Thursday a little over a month after the team’s division round loss to the New England Patriots.
Johnson had been with the Texans since 2023 as quarterbacks coach, helping turn Stroud into the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl QB. He was an assistant QB coach with the Minnesota Vikings for one season prior after spending the first two years of his coaching career as an offensive quality control coach with the Indianapolis Colts.
It didn’t take long for Houston to find Johnson’s replacement, according to KPRC’s Aaron Wilson.
“Senior offensive assistant Jerry Schlupinski steps in to coach C.J. Stroud in tandem with Nick Caley, per a source @KPRC2,” Wilson wrote on X.
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