HOUSTON -- The offseason approach for Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was clear: Stay out of the spotlight as much as possible.

Stroud was coming off a season in which he admitted that the fun was missing at times in football. He dealt with more criticism off the field while taking a beating on it, suffering more quarterback hits than almost anyone in the league.

So instead of doing what Stroud did in the 2024 offseason, he limited his public appearances and focused mainly on football, family and his faith.

Stroud started the approach dating back to February, when he was given the opportunity to go to his second straight Pro Bowl as an alternate -- but he passed. He wasn't pleased with how he played in Year 2 after a stellar rookie year, despite his team making it to the divi

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