Turns out CJ is 103rd on the NFL’s TOP 100

Summary

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Payne & Pendergast Podcast Summary

Episode: "Turns out CJ is 103rd on the NFL’s TOP 100"
Date: August 4, 2026
Hosts: Seth Payne (Former NFL Player), Sean Pendergast (Houston Radio Voice)
Network: Audacy / SportsRadio 610

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Overview

This episode dives into the release of Mike Sando’s annual NFL Quarterback Tiers, focusing on Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud's placement and ongoing narrative. The hosts analyze Stroud's drop in ranking, debate perceptions around his ceiling and performance, and share industry opinions—intertwined with broader discussions on player contracts and league trends. The episode sets up an in-depth interview with Texans GM Nick Caserio, teasing further insights into team decisions and Stroud’s future.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Bijan Robinson’s Contract & NFL Running Back Market

[01:57 – 03:21]

• Bijan Robinson signs a 3-year, $75M extension with the Falcons ($25M AAV, $51M guaranteed).

• Seth and Sean debate the league’s new norm: big money, short-term deals for RBs, and the tacit acceptance of this model by players.

• Mention of Jameer Gibbs’ "hold in" with Detroit, and how these (pseudo) contract disputes affect the fan experience and league business.

  Notable Quote

  • Seth Payne:
    "As a former player, I stand for the rights of players and everything, but… I feel like [the hold in] is dirty pool." [02:58]

  • Both hosts praise MLB players for rarely agitating for trades or new deals, citing it as why baseball players’ union remains so powerful.

    • "Every time there's a work stoppage, the players in baseball win." — Sean Pendergast [04:16]

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2. Mike Sando’s 2026 NFL Quarterback Tiers

[04:20 – 11:18]

• Setup: Annual ranking aggregating opinions of 50 NFL insiders—QBs divided into tiers based on performance, perception, and potential.

• Tier 1: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow.

• Tier 2: Starts with Lamar Jackson. Discussion covers how players like Jared Goff and Jordan Love (10th) sit near where Stroud was previously.

  C.J. Stroud’s Drop:

• Last year, Stroud ranked 9th.

• This year: He drops to 20th, topping Tier 3.

• Tier 3 description: Legit starter but needs running game or defense to win; best in lower-volume passing offenses.

  Notable Moment

  • "C.J. was ninth in this exercise last year. This year, Jordan Love is tenth. And CJ's not shown up yet…" — Sean Pendergast [07:09]

• Jaden Daniels at 13, with hosts comparing his trajectory to Stroud: both had standout rookie years and then a sophomore slump, but with Daniels’ issues being injuries.

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3. Does CJ Stroud Have "It"?

[08:23 – 11:18]

• Reading the headline anonymous quote from a defensive coordinator:

  • "This is a big year for him. He has it in him." [08:26]

• Stroud’s 2026 voting breakdown:

  • 13 votes: Tier 2
  • 37 votes: Tier 3

• Seth maintains a positive outlook:

  • "My thoughts about what C.J. Stroud's ceiling theoretically is and should be are still very high… It's going to be a huge disappointment if he doesn't get… substantially better than he was last year." [08:58]

  Hosts attribute Stroud’s regression to:

  • Subpar running game and O-line.
  • Young/inexperienced receivers struggling to read defenses or be the 'hot' option.
  • Syndromic of nationally-televised games being Stroud's worst moments, skewing national perception.

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4. Anonymous NFL Quotes on Stroud

[09:44 – 11:16]

• Quote #1 (Defensive Coordinator):

  • "Prior to last year, I would've thought he's going to be on the fringe of being in the upper echelon. I want to say he's a three based on the last couple years, but he's a two, if I'm being fair… obviously he's got the potential. He's done it before." [09:45]

• Quote #2 (Executive):

  • "[He's] starting to fall into that category of a quarterback who's hard to protect. He doesn't beat you at the line and get the ball out. He holds the football. And then when he holds the football, he makes mistakes." [10:07]

• Seth’s Response:

  • Defends Stroud by pointing to uncertain O-line/receiver play and frequent communication breakdowns; insists context matters in evaluating his mistakes.

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5. Upcoming Live Segment Tease

[11:18]

• Nick Caserio, Texans GM, joins live at training camp for deeper insight (not covered in this segment), promising discussion on Stroud, the offensive line, and Jadeveon Clowney’s reunion with the franchise.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Running Backs' Contract Realities:

  • Sean: "Running backs… we'll pay you good, respectable money. But it's going to be on short term deals." [02:12]
  • Seth: "Hold-ins… as a fan to watch this, it feels like dirty pool." [02:58]

• On QBs’ Tier Juxtaposition:

  • Sean: "C.J. was ninth in this exercise last year… and CJ's not shown up yet." [07:09]
  • Seth: "Jaden Daniels being where he is… his trajectory has been very similar to CJ’s." [07:28]

• On Stroud’s Ceiling:

  • Seth: "My thoughts about what C.J. Stroud's ceiling theoretically is and should be are still very high." [08:58]

• Industry Voices:

  • Anonymous DC: "This is a big year for him. He has it in him." [08:26]
  • Anonymous Exec: "He doesn't beat you at the line and get the ball out. He holds the football. And then when he holds the football, he makes mistakes." [10:07]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:57 – 03:52: Running back contracts and “hold-in” culture
• 04:20 – 07:09: Introduction and breakdown of Sando’s QB Tiers; Tier 1 and Tier 2
• 07:09 – 08:23: Searching for C.J. Stroud’s placement; direct comparison to Jaden Daniels and Jordan Love
• 08:23 – 11:18: Deep dive on Stroud’s Tier 3 ranking, voting breakdown, and pivotal anonymous quotes
• 11:18 – 11:37: Set-up for Nick Caserio’s guest segment

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Tone & Style

• Direct, bantering, candid—typical sharp-but-friendly Houston sports talk.
• Mix of player insight (Seth), radio voice accessibility (Sean), and plugged-in NFL perspective.
• Blunt about Houston team realities and fair in parsing national narratives from local truths.

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This episode is essential for those keen on how league insiders view C.J. Stroud after an up-and-down sophomore campaign, and how his narrative intersects with broader NFL and Texans storylines.

Transcript

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Texans training camp is here live from the Houston Methodist Training Center. Sports Radio 610 presents Pain and Pendergast.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

All right, Nick Nasario joins us in about a little over 10 minutes and we'll talk to the Texans GM for the remainder of the program today, all the way up till 7:55, so. Or 7:54.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

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[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

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[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Yeah, it might wind up in Webster's. Who knows, man, you never know. Quick, quick. Breaking news. Bijan Robinson. We know we got a lot of Longhorns listening out there. Three years, $75 million extension. He just signed this morning with the Atlanta Falcons.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

That's kind of where the league is settled in on is like, listen, running backs, we'll pay. We'll pay you good, respectable money. But it's going to be on short term deals.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Yeah.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

And the running backs have kind of grudgingly said, all right, I get it.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

AAV. Pretty good though. 25.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

It's really good. Yeah. And so 51 million guaranteed. So congrats to Bijan Robinson. And now at that position, all eyes shift to Jameer Gibbs, who's in a hold in right now up in Detroit.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

The hold in. You and I were talking about this during a break. The hold in doesn't seem to be quite the scourge that it looked like it was becoming. So for those of you who don't know, a hold in is when a player shows up and he's not practicing, he's got a nondescript injury. Think Jonathan Taylor a couple years ago. And. And. And he's also agitated about his contract.

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[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

And the team. The team is saying they're in a position where they say, well, we could fine you for contract detrimental, but that's probably not the best way to move forward with this. And it's a. It's uncomfortable as a fan to watch this. It feels like. It feels like, to me, as a former player, it feels like dirty pool. Like, I'm not a fan of the Holden. I'm a former player. I stand for the rights of players and everything, but it's kind of. I feel like it's dirty pool.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

We got to get to the CJ thing, but could you imagine if Tank Dell's whole thing is. He's actually holding in right now.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

He's hold. He's actually been fully recovered for six months, but he wants a bump on his contract. Everybody else can these extensions. What the hell?

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Your leg's been shattered twice already and shot at.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

You gave Will Anderson a contract. I'm sitting out here.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

That'd be hilarious.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

No, I think so. The other one, real quick. I'm sorry. I do think the Major League Baseball Players association, one of the reasons that they are so powerful, for one, is that they uniformly. They don't pull this crap.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

No.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

They don't demand trades. It's very, very rare for a player to try to agitate his way out of a situation. They say, oh, cool, we get these huge, lucrative contracts, but we're gonna hold up and we're gonna play out our contracts even if we're in a miserable situation. And it's like, I don't know how they do it with that many players, but they. They stick to it well. So there's a level of certain. So GMs can give out that money knowing, like, okay, I don't have to worry about this guy agitating for a

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

new deal because every time there's a work stoppage, the players in baseball win.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Yeah.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

You know, they win. So. So yeah, Bijan Robinson, very rich man. All right, so the Mike Sando. I wish we had more than five minutes to get into this, but I will happily take Nick Casario as a guest here. But Mike Sandoz Quarterback Tiers annual article is out. It's one of my favorite ones. He's got a bunch of 50 people from around the NFL voting on what tier each quarterback is in and then he blends it all together into one ranking. So just to give you the high points here, there's four quarterbacks in tier one. These are the franchise franchise guys and it's the names you would think. It's Patrick Mahomes, it's Josh Allen, it's Matthew Stafford, it's Joe Burrow. Those are the four. Lamar Jackson is at the very top of Tier two and there's about

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[Sports Radio 610 Host]

10 or 12 guys in tier 2 tier 2 is described as someone who carries his team, sometimes handles pure passing situations in doses, has other dimensions that elevate him above tier 3, but has a hole or two in his game. Not going to go through all the names, but I will say as I page down tier 2 and I get into the early teens of overall quarterbacks here.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Well, and I think when you get into the Goffs and the Loves, you know where, okay, this is right around where CJ was. That was the conversation around that. Him and Jordan Love were almost in QB rankings. Always right next to each other.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

C.J. was ninth in this exercise last year. Yeah, this very exercise a year ago he was ninth.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Jordan Love is tenth.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

This year Jordan Love is tenth. And CJ's not shown up yet. As we scroll down. Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams. Jaden Daniels is 13. Keep going. Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold. Haven't got a CJ yet.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

There's a Trevor Lawrence.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Trevor Lawrence at 16.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

I like Jaden Daniels being where he is given that so far his trajectory has been very similar to CJ's in terms of incredible rookie year, underwhelming second year. But I think people are making the excuses of the. It's weird. Just like with cj, they're making excuses of an offensive coordinator that might not have been the right guy, even though it's the same offensive coordinator that delivered that rookie year.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Well, and his issues are injuries now too.

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[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Yeah. C.J. didn't have the injuries.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Yeah. Yeah. Which makes it curious. Jalen hurts. 17. Ah, now we get to tier 3. CJ must be showing up at the top of tier 3, where in that tier you're a legit starter, but you need a running game or defense to win. Yeah, lower volume, drop back passing offense suits him best. That feels like the direction things are going with C.J. right now. That description. So he must be near the top of that. 18th, Bo Nix. 19th. Aaron Rodgers, Rogers, Rogers. 20th. C.J. stroud.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Rogers was as bad in the playoffs as C.J. stroud was in the playoffs.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

20th. Yeah, on the very same field. 20th.C.J. stroud. The one. The headline quote, they have a headline quote for each of these guys. Seth, from a anonymous person. The headline quote for CJ is from a defensive coordinator coordinator. This is a big year for him. He has it in him. End quote. Does CJ have it in him to get back into tier two this season?

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

I think he. 100%. He has it in him. Yes. Yeah.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

I, by the way, the voting for him.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Yeah.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

13 votes in tier two, 37 votes in tier three.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

My, my, my thoughts about what C.J. stroud ceiling theoretically is and should be are still very high. And it's going to be a huge disappointment if he doesn't get somewhere close or at least, you know, substantially better than he was last year, because I do think, I do think he made some improvements last year in operating as an actual veteran NFL quarterback. It's just, it's. You gotta see him with a competent supporting cast and start to give a feel for just. Exactly. All right. Now, he doesn't have these excuses or. All right. He's got these things. And wow, look at how much better the performance is. Just a solid rushing attack. Not even an awesome rushing attack. A competent rushing attack, for one. That's the biggest thing.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Do you want some anonymous quotes?

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Yeah.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

A defensive coordinator said, quote, prior to last year, I would have thought he's going to be on the fringe of being in the upper echelon. I want to say he's a three based on the last couple years, but he's a two, if I'm being fair. So kind of what you're saying, like, he's right now sits in three. But he's got the potential. Obviously he's got the potential. He's done it before.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

They said ambivalence was a theme with a lot of these voters on CJ Stroud.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Yep. And here's a couple quotes to that end. He's starting to fall into that category of a quarterback who's hard to protect. This is an executive saying this. He doesn't beat you at the line and get the ball out. He holds the football. And then when he holds the football, he makes mistakes. End quote.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

Yeah. And I think that's. That's honestly one of the things that he made improvement on last year. It's just with everything being shuffled around and with still not being able to truly trust the pass protection. But more than anything, I think the receivers play a part in that, too. I think not getting the ball out fast or especially when he's under duress. I think there were just, there were too many times where the quarterback and the O line weren't necessarily always on the same page. There were times when young receivers who maybe should have been the hot receiver didn't have their eyes on C.J. there was. There were a lot of things that were above and beyond just CJ Himself when it comes to that. And it came in. I think one of the tough things about CJ Last year was that some of the, some of the higher, some of the nationally televised games are the ones where these issues showed up and people by and large didn't see a lot of the good things he was doing in the same category.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Yep.

[Sports Radio 610 Analyst]

All right.

[Sports Radio 610 Host]

Nick Casario, Texans executive vice president and general manager, is going to join us out here live at training camp. Coming up next, we will talk about CJ Stroud with Nick Casario. How's this offensive line evaluation going? And the the reunion with Jadevion Clowney? We'll get some of the details on that, hopefully from Nick Kasario as well. Stay there, you're listening.

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