The Houston Texans went into their divisional matchup with the Tennessee Titans in Week 4 with a ticking time bomb attached to them. Thankfully, they were able to diffuse it with a 26-0 win that brought them to 1-3 and saved their season. Yet, the Texans—and C.J. Stroud and the offense in particular—still continued to underperform.
Advertisement
And it seems like that’s starting to become a bit of a worrying pattern with Stroud. Since he won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, he has been a mediocre NFL QB at best. His team’s spot in the weak AFC South has masked that some, but it’s becoming all too clear through one month of the 2025 season. Across his three NFL seasons, Stroud’s TD rate, INT rate, and passing yards per game numbers have dropped each year.
His passer rating over the last two years has also dropped significantly from the 100.8 mark he put up as an NFL freshman. His 87.0 rating last year left much to be desired, and his 88.7 mark so far this season isn’t much better. There is clearly something wrong with Stroud. And while most would have assumed some mental regression, there are reports that Stroud recently said he believes his athleticism has waned significantly in just the two years he’s been in the league.
Source of the Claim: C.J. Stroud is only in his third NFL season and just 23 years old. There’s no way his body is already betraying him, right? Well, in a recent presser, Stroud seemingly confirmed otherwise.
“Being 23, I feel like I’m getting old. I’m not as quick as I used to be. I was watching my high school stuff a couple days ago. I was 180, and I was rolling. I’m not no more,” said the QB.
CJ Stroud on improving explosiveness:
“Being 23, I’m not fully in my grown man body all the way yet. I’m still growing.”
“I feel like I’m getting old. I’m not as quick as I used to be. I was watching my high school stuff a couple days ago & I was like 180 & I was rollin.” pic.twitter.com/LeLfxK71sk
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) October 1, 2025
Stroud was reflecting on how much more spry he used to be in high school. No doubt, anyone reading this over the age of 25 can relate. He also mentioned that being more disciplined with his diet and weight training regimen would help him maintain his current physicality.
Verdict: There’s video evidence of C.J. Stroud saying this at a press conference. So, unless the folks at OpenAI got way better at deepfakes overnight, this one is true. Stroud is definitely feeling the physical toll of the NFL on his body.
And while it is alarming to hear, something tells us that there are a lot of NFL players silently nodding in agreement while listening to his comments. The NFL is no picnic. And playing—especially behind an offensive line as awful as Stroud’s—can age your body faster than us non-athletes might imagine.
It speaks to the influence of internet trolls and fake Twitter news accounts that this direct quote from Stroud was ever questioned as fact. That said, we have to admit that NBACentel, the original (and still hilarious) fake sports news page, remains a cut above all those copycats.
