The Jaguars AFC South enemy who clearly topped the podium at NFL Combine

The Underwear Olympics haven't gotten underway in earnest yet at the NFL Scouting Combine, but a Jacksonville Jaguars rival executive is already atop the podium with the equivalent of a media session gold medal. Thought it'd be fitting to invoke the Olympic hardware in the spirit of the recent Winter Games in Milan.

As heartbreaking as the Jags' Wild Card Weekend loss to the Bills was, they at least have an elite offensive play-caller at head coach in Liam Coen. He should get the absolute most out of quarterback Trevor Lawrence's prime.

Meanwhile, Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud, playing for an uber-successful defensive head coach in DeMeco Ryans, threw four interceptions in an ugly Divisional Round defeat to the Patriots.

Questions about Lawrence's future were flying all over the place until the Jags hit their stride in the second half of the 2025 campaign. Similar doubts persist about Stroud, despite the fact that he's won three playoff games to Lawrence's one in two fewer seasons as a pro.

Lest anyone run wild with reckless trade speculation, Houston GM Nick Caserio nipped in the bud any notion that Stroud won't be a Texan in 2026 on Tuesday.

Texans GM Nick Caserio labels C.J. Stroud trade chatter 'moronic'

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 captured what Caserio had to say on video regarding quarterback C.J. Stroud's future in Houston, and how the Texans GM felt about all the hoopla:

"It’s moronic. We’re not trading the guy. He’s our quarterback. He’s going to be playing quarterback for the Houston Texans in 2026. Anything beyond that, I mean, that’s your world. You guys can speculate on that. But we’re not trading C.J. Stroud."

What a mic-drop moment for Caserio! This man comes from the New England front office. Like Bill Belichick, Caserio doesn't strike me as particularly fond of press conference obligations.

Props to Caserio for laying down the hammer. Some seemingly outlandish QB trade talk is fair amidst this offseason in particular. Other than Fernando Mendoza, there ain't a lot of great options in the draft for needy teams. Malik Willis is by far the most appealing free agent, but he has such a small sample size that it's hard to be fully sold on him either.

So yeah, maybe some folks feel like Houston's elite defense could carry Texans QB2 Davis Mills as a game manager type, and Stroud could be traded if Caserio got a Godfather offer.

Just typing that out loud shows how flimsy the rationale is, though. Caserio laid the hammer down. And it's a little unfortunate for Jacksonville, because Stroud is still on a promising trajectory.

The question is, can Caserio still build a strong roster around him once that massive second contract comes in? Sure helps to have an elite motivator like Ryans who seems to get the most out of his players. Remember, Ryans inherited a Texans team that held the No. 2 overall pick and took them to the second round of the playoffs right away.

It's sad that Jags GM James Gladstone and Coen are skipping the Combine. Would've loved to see one of them drop a quote bomb like Caserio just did. Guess Jags fans can settle on watching players go through drills and see which Day 2 prospects they like most.