CJ Stroud drops truth bomb on Nico Collins after Texans win without him
Posted October 26, 2025
A lot of the ingredients for the Houston Texans offense to get back on track were on the table on Sunday afternoon. Most notably, an opponent -- the San Francisco 49ers -- who hasn't been able to get after the passer all season long meant that third-year Texans quarterback CJ Stroud would have more time to throw than he's been accustomed to dating back to last year.
But one ingredient was noticeably absent on Sunday... Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins, who had back to back 1,000 yard seasons in 2023 and 2024, but has gotten off to a sluggish start in 2025. Due to a concussion he suffered in this past Monday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Collins wasn't on the field today, but still, Stroud and the Texans offense shined on their way to a 26-15 win over the Niners.
Stroud, who hadn't thrown for over 300 yards in a regular season game in over one full calendar year, topped the 300-yard mark against San Francisco's banged up defense, connecting with nine different Texans pass-catchers on the afternoon. But despite the success, Stroud took some time post-game to remind everyone of Nico Collins' place in the hierarchy of Houston's offense once he's able to return to the field.
"You can't replace Nico Collins. He's a top-five guy in his league. I think he's one of best," Stroud said post-game, according to Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated. "Even when he comes back, we got to find new ways to get him the rock. So, I mean, that's my job, to give it to him, and when he comes back his force will be felt."
Collins has been a force each of the last two years, but this year, the 26-year-old wideout has failed to make the kind of splash many expected he would in his first year in Nick Caley's offense. Perhaps growing pains could be to blame here. The Texans are still only seven regular season games into Caley's tenure, and there are kinks that still need to be worked out.
But Houston would be better for it if Stroud 'forced' the ball to Collins a little bit more once the big-bodied wide out returns from concussion protocol.
For all we know, that could be next Sunday, when the Denver Broncos come to town. Denver leads the NFL in sacks this season, so Houston's rebuilt offensive line will have its hands full, and Stroud may be under pressure for long stretches of the game. Having an outlet like Collins, in addition to some of the newcomers and youngsters like Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson who stepped up in a big way against San Francisco, will be key to Houston getting back .500.
Maxx Crosby Leaks True Feelings on Possible Raiders Trade Amid Cowboys Rumors
With the Las Vegas Raiders falling to 2-5 ahead of the NFL trade deadline, there have been rumors that defensive end Maxx Crosby could be traded. The Dallas Cowboys are the team that’s been talked about most, but if Crosby is actually available, many teams would be interested.
Unfortunately for those teams, he is not. The Raiders have come out and said they aren’t going to trade him. Plus, it looks like Crosby himself doesn’t want a deal.
According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, Crosby wants to stay put for now.
“So the Raiders told them, they’re not moving him, but also Maxx Crosby said, ‘I don’t want to go anywhere,'” Glazer said on “Fox NFL Sunday.” “There was one team that called me and said, ‘Hey, could you find out?’ I said, ‘Nope, he doesn’t want to go,’ and a team said, ‘Man, we love him because of his loyalty. Wish he wasn’t, though.'”
If the Raiders don’t want to trade Crosby and he doesn’t want to get moved, that should end the trade talk around him. There will likely continue to be rumors, but it looks like a certainty that Crosby will still be on the Raiders’ roster at the end of the season.
Mark Davis Talks Crosby Trade
Crosby has become the face of the Raiders in recent years. Without a star quarterback on the roster, he’s the player who galvanizes the fan base.
Not only is he an excellent player on the field, but he’s also embraced the Raiders fully and represents them well off the field. Owner Mark Davis has had to address Crosby trade rumors in the past and is reiterating that he’s not going to sign off on a trade.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve got to say it,” Davis told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo recently. “It’s really hard to keep getting asked the same question every month or week or whatever when the answer’s going to stay the same. I don’t know why anybody would think I’d change my mind or the organization would.”
Davis isn’t surprised that teams are going after the star defensive end.
“Everybody wants to have your great players,” Davis said. “It starts there, it doesn’t start with us.”
Are Raiders Making Right Decision?
The Raiders are struggling right now, and it’s difficult to see how they’ll be able to turn this around by next season. Many believe that the best course of action is to trade players like Crosby away and stock up on draft picks.
If this were a normal rebuild, that could make some sense, but the Raiders have a 74-year-old head coach in Pete Carroll. He’s not going to embrace a rebuild that takes two or three years. The Raiders have a lot of new pieces, and it’s possible that they are able to get back to winning games after the bye week.
While a 7-10 or 8-9 finish to the season hurts their draft slot, it does give them some more momentum heading into the offseason.
