If you were not aware, C.J. Stroud just had the best rookie quarterback season in NFL history. He looks to take the Houston Texans another step up in 2024. Now the question is could he win the MVP of the league in just the second year of his NFL career?
C.J. Stroud
C.J. Stroud played his college career at the Ohio State University. He was drafted second overall to the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft. Even though they drafted a quarterback, the Texans were still expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Luckily, C.J. Stroud did not care how the people thought the Texans would perform in 2023. Stroud came out the gate performing as a top-tier quarterback and did not look back. Through the middle half of the season, Stroud became an MVP candidate. Unfortunately, he was knocked out of the race after missing a couple of games toward the end of the season.
Even though he missed two games, Stroud was still able to throw for over 4,000 yards and 23 touchdowns with only five interceptions. This led to C.J. being named as the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year and regarded as the best rookie quarterback ever.
Texans
Heading into 2024, the Texans hope to win the division and make a run in the playoffs once again. To go along with their new franchise quarterback they have added new playmakers to their team. Houston made lots of additions to elevate their defense in 2024, but they made one move on offense that sticks out more than the rest.
Yesterday on April 3rd the Buffalo Bills agreed to trade wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Texans. Diggs fills out the Texans receiver room to go along with Nico Collins and Tank Dell. With the addition to Diggs, the Texans also added running back Joe Mixon to make them one of the best offenses in the NFL.
MVP?
With the new additions and success of last season, C.J. Stroud should be a frontrunner to win MVP. History says that it is very possible for a quarterback to win MVP in their second year. Patrick Mahomes won the NFL MVP in 2018, his second season.
According to Caesars Sportsbook C.J. Stroud was +1200 to win the MVP before the trade and jumped to +1000 after the trade for Stefon Diggs. Josh Allen now has the same odds as C.J. Stroud after the Diggs trade. Stroud is now a top-five MVP favorite depending on what sports books you are looking at.
If he can recreate the season he has in 2023 and take the Texans to a playoff run, there is now reason that Stroud should be a frontrunner or even the favorite to win the MVP in 2024.
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