This story was updated to correct a typo.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud gave Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams some unprompted advice after their ‘Sunday Night Football’ clash in Week 2.
Stroud met Williams at midfield for a postgame handshake and advised the rookie quarterback to ‘stop taking those hits’ after the USC product was sacked seven times by Houston’s fierce defense.
Williams acknowledged Stroud and began to head to the locker room before the Texans quarterback called him back. Stroud then told Williams he was going to be ‘a hell of a player in this league.’
Much was made of the interaction, with some wondering whether Williams would view Stroud’s advice gratefully or as a didactic slight.
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Stroud wanted to clear the air Wednesday and make sure everybody knew that his advice came from a place of admiration for his counterpart.
‘It’s not like I was trying to ‘lil bro’ him or nothing like that,’ Stroud told reporters at a Wednesday media availability. ‘He knows that. I have a ton of respect for him. I told him that I respected him.’
What then was Stroud’s main motive in his interaction with Williams? He wanted to pay forward some of the tips he received from veteran quarterbacks during his first season as a starter.
‘I had so many guys coming to me after the games last year, and that meant the world to me that those guys even thought about giving me advice,’ Stroud explained. ‘So, I just try to give back to what the game has given to me.’
Stroud further detailed that he believes Williams is eventually going to ‘get his groove’ as his rookie season progresses. The Texans quarterback acknowledged that it took him three or four weeks during the 2023 NFL season to get up to speed. From there, he went on to win the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award and finish third in the league’s single-season rookie passing standings with 4,108 yards in 15 starts.
Stroud also wasn’t bothered by Williams’ apparent moodiness at the beginning of their postgame handshake.
‘He was just upset that they lost,’ Stroud said. ‘I totally understand.’
As such, it doesn’t appear that there is any tension between the 2022 Heisman Trophy finalists.
‘I have a ton of respect for that guy,’ Stroud said of Williams. ‘I want him to do extremely well – just like any other guy – ’til we play on that day. After the game, we can be cool.
‘But I’m definitely rooting for him and want to see him do extremely well.’