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CJ Stroud Causes Stir Looking Unrecognizable With New Hairdo in Texans Offseason

The Houston quarterback’s new look certainly brought with it all kinds of jokes on social media after his terrible playoff performance.
Matt Ryan|
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud arrives for an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud arrives for an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud no doubt wanted to hide after his four interceptions in the first half of AFC Divisional playoff game vs. the New England Patriots. He definitely would be hard to spot this offseason with his new hairstyle that had haters making all kinds of jokes on social media.

The 24-year-old Stroud helped lead the red-hot Texans into the playoffs on a nine-game winning streak. They had arguably the league’s best defense and all that momentum going for them.

C.J. Strou
Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) after the game against the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium. | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Then disaster struck at New England wtih an unbelievably bad first half.

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The Texans would lose 28-16 and now are watching the same Patriots in the Super Bowl.

After the game, Stroud talked about how he “let people down” and took accountability for his performance.

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You can see in the video on January 18 his long hair with the dreads.

Stroud cuts his hair, looking like a new person

Come a couple of weeks later and he’s looking like a whole new man after chopping his hair off.

Here he is getting the actual cut:

Fans joke about it after his disastrous playoff game

Of course this would lead to all kinds of jokes across social media.

The No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Texans out of the Ohio State Buckeyes finished the season with 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

No doubt he’s looking forward to a clean start like his haircut next season.

C.J. Strou
Jan 18, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) warms up before an AFC Divisional Round game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

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Matt Ryan
MATT RYAN

Matt Ryan is a dedicated sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in digital and linear media. After receiving a Masters in Journalism from USC, he’s worked for Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports Media Group, and Bally Sports, while holding various leadership roles along the way.

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