Peyton Manning finally sets record straight on criticism of Texans' CJ Stroud
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
23 July 2024
It took you long enough, Peyton! Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.
Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning joined The Pat McAfee Show recently and shared his thoughts on the outlook for CJ Stroud and the Texans this season.
Peyton talked about how impressed he was with Stroud's rookie season, and how much he enjoyed coaching him at the Pro Bowl.
He also discussed playing against Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, and spoke to how tough the Texans will be to overtake in the AFC South with Stroud and Ryans leading the offense and defense respectively.
But what really caught our attention was Manning's comments about the criticism Stroud received leading up to the NFL Draft. Stroud's S2 scores — which measure cognitive ability — were rumored to be below average. Causing the perception that his draft stock was tumbling in the eyes of some teams.
The other big knock on Stroud was his maturity. Which many believe stemmed from CJ being a no-show at the Manning Football Camp.
Which it turns out was completely false, according to Manning.
“I kinda felt bad. He kind of got criticized for not going to the camp… I probably could have come out and clarified that he never committed to come.”
Manning said he apologized to Stroud about the flak he received from NFL teams during his NFL Combine interviews.
Peyton wasn't aware at the time that there was a narrative about Stroud “ghosting” the Manning Camp.
As a Texans fan, I hate that Stroud had to deal with unwarranted judgement about his character. But at the same time, perhaps this misinformation played a part in him slipping to No. 2 overall and being selected by Houston.
It's hard to imagine what this franchise would look like if the Texans had selected Bryce Young or a different quarterback.
Be sure to watch the video above as Manning clears the air about Stroud, and provides an in-depth look at the 2024 Texans and the AFC South.
Rumors have been swirling in recent days about the possible reunion between the Astros and Carlos Correa. Correa made the trade sound like an unlikely possibility on Wednesday, but now, it appears it's happening.
According multiple sources, including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, the Astros are trading for Correa.
Source: The Astros are have agreed to a deal to reacquire Carlos Correa in a trade with the Twins.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 31, 2025
With third baseman Isaac Paredes likely unavailable until next season, this move makes a lot of sense for a team trying to win a World Series this season.
Correa has already agreed to play third base, with Jeremy Pena remaining at shortstop. Carlos is guaranteed $96 million through the next three seasons.
Correa is slashing .267/.319/.386 this season, not exactly the numbers we expect from Correa. But he was terrific in 2024, so hopefully a change of scenery sparks more production.
However, a deeper look at the numbers shows Correa has been much better as of late. He's slashing .308/.373/.421 with 2 homers and 9 RBIs over his last 30 games.
What did the Astros give up?
Details of the trade are finally being released. The Twins are paying $33 million of Correa's remaining $103.42 million contract.
The Minnesota Twins are paying a whopping $33 million of Carlos Correa's remaining $103.42 contract.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2025
The Twins will receive LHP prospect Matt Mikulski, per Bob Nightengale.
