The Houston Texans have become one of the NFL’s most exciting young teams, thanks in large part to quarterback C.J. Stroud’s breakout performance. After leading the team to back-to-back 10-7 seasons, Stroud has cemented himself as the future of football in Houston. However, despite all their recent success, the Texans fell short of making a deep playoff run last season, revealing one clear need: more firepower on offense.
With Stefon Diggs entering free agency and concerns lingering over Tank Dell’s knee injury, the Texans could be in the market for another game-changing weapon. And now, one NFL analyst is suggesting a potential blockbuster move that could give Stroud the most dangerous receiver duo in the NFL.
Houston Texans Predicted to Reunite C.J. Stroud With His College Star
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz recently proposed a bold offseason move for each NFL team, and he envisions the Texans pulling off a massive trade for New York Jets star wide receiver Garrett Wilson — Stroud’s former teammate at Ohio State. The idea isn’t just about adding talent; it’s about reigniting chemistry that once lit up college football.
“Wilson was clearly unhappy in New York last season, but he’s a very talented young wide receiver,” Schatz wrote. “He has three straight 1,000-yard seasons, which is even more impressive considering the quarterback play the Jets have had. In 2021, Wilson had 70 catches for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns at Ohio State with C.J. Stroud as his quarterback.
“The Texans can’t be sure whether Tank Dell’s knee will be healthy next season, and Stefon Diggs is a free agent. Other teams have had a ton of success reuniting college teammates, such as Joe Burrow with Ja’Marr Chase or Tua Tagovailoa with Jaylen Waddle. Why not do the same thing in Houston with Stroud and Wilson? The 25th selection and a Day 2 pick in 2026 should get this trade done.”
Why Garrett Wilson Would Be a Perfect Fit for Houston
Bringing in Wilson would be a massive upgrade for a Texans offense that finished last season with the 28th-ranked offense and a 64.8 (D) grade in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Despite Stroud’s impressive flashes across his first two seasons as a pro, Houston’s passing attack lacked consistency, which is something Wilson could help fix immediately.
At just 24 years old, Wilson has already proven himself as one of the NFL’s top young receivers, putting up over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons despite being saddled with subpar quarterback play in New York.
His precise route-running, reliable hands, and ability to create separation would make Houston extremely difficult to stop since defenses would have to worry about defending both Wilson and Nico Collins. Once Dell comes back, the offense would be even scarier.
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Pairing Stroud with his former college target could elevate Houston’s offense to elite status. With the defense already showing promise (posting the seventh-best Defense+ rating last season), adding a star receiver like Wilson could turn the Texans into legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
A move like this would give Houston one of the league’s most dangerous offensive duos, following in the footsteps of success stories like Burrow and Chase in Cincinnati.
Does Wilson Want Out Of New York?
Since December, fans and reporters alike started speculating that Wilson could request a trade. A lot of this had to do with the receiver’s relationship with Aaron Rodgers.
Wilson had reportedly been involved in many heated conversations with the QB that eventually boiled over near the end of the season, and it was clear that Rodgers was favoring Davante Adams over Wilson.
It had gotten to a point where Rich Cimini of ESPN pointed out the possibility of Wilson requesting a trade at the end of the season: “I’ve talked to people in Garrett Wilson’s circle… they think he will ask for a trade after the season.”
But now that the Jets are parting ways with Rodgers, does Wilson still want out? Cimini recently reported that he expects Wilson to stay with the Jets.
“Rodgers‘ departure greatly increases the chances of Garrett Wilson‘s return,” said Cimini.
“[Aaron] Rodgers’ departure greatly increases the chances of Garrett Wilson’s return,” per Cimini.
Says it became obvious to many that “Rodgers was favoring Adams over Wilson.”
Another important aspect of the Rodgers decision for the #Jets. https://t.co/arIfNmcfYJ
— The Jet Press (@TheJetPress) February 16, 2025
When looking at the target numbers of both Wilson and Adams from this past season, it becomes clear why Wilson was frustrated with his quarterback. Adams was targeted 112 times, compared to Wilson’s 87 in the 11 games when the duo shared the field.
For a star receiver like Wilson, who has accumulated three straight 1,000-yard seasons since entering the league in 2022, it’s understandable that he was frustrated about another receiver coming in and taking a huge chunk of your workload away.
Now that Rodgers is gone, Adams’ future with the Jets has become uncertain. Adams joined the Jets to play alongside the quarterback. It seems very unlikely that Adams will stick around in New York, meaning Wilson will almost certainly get his role as the WR1 back, which could also factor into how he feels about remaining in New York.
It remains to be seen if Wilson is content in New York or if a trade request could be still be coming. If he does ultimately want out, the Texans should pounce.