The Houston Texans are reeling after back-to-back losses to the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions. But still, the fanfare around star quarterback C.J. Stroud appears to be at an all-time high.
Stroud hasn’t quite reached the success he had in his rookie season thus far this season, currently ranking in the middle of the league in QBR on the season.
Offensive line issues for the Texans and injuries to the wide receiver position have seemingly limited the Texans’ offense from taking the next step and becoming a true top-tier contender in the AFC.
But despite all this, Stroud appears to only be growing in popularity across the NFL. According to Greg Rajan of the Houston Chronicle, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has had the highest-selling jersey in the NFL from April to October. The likes of Caleb Williams and Patrick Mahomes trail Stroud in second in third place in jersey sales during this time period.
It’s certainly not the first name you would expect to be leading the NFL in jersey sales. Especially considering the lack of production thus far this season compared to his rookie season.
Fans took to social media to largely critique this news, saying that Stroud certainly hasn’t played like a top jersey seller this season.
“He’s been MID all season, very disappointing sophomore slump,” wrote one fan.
“Can they request a refund? He’s a Nico Collins merchant,” another wrote.
Luckily for Stroud and the Texans, they do find themselves safely atop the AFC South standings. So if we see some better play from him as the season goes on, we could very well Stroud continue to grow in popularity even more as we approach the postseason.
