Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said he wasn’t trying to treat Bears quarterback Caleb Williams like a “little bro” when the two spoke briefly after Sunday night’s game.
When they met up on the field, Stroud at first told him to stop taking so many hits, and Caleb told him he agreed. Stroud then seemed to make sure Williams paid attention to his advice.
“Learn from those mistakes,” Stroud said. “And everything that you got, bro, is in you already, bro. You’re going to be a hell of a player in this league.”
Williams told Stroud he appreciated it and moved on.
“I have a ton of respect for him,” Stroud told Texans reporters Wednesday. “I told him I have respect for him. But I had so many guys come up to me after games last year and that meant the world to me that those guys even thought about giving me advice. So, I just try to give back to what the game is giving to me. So, I wish him the best.”
Stroud said he wants Williams “to do amazing in this league” and thinks he will.
“I think that he’ll get his groove and once you get your rhythm,” Stroud said. “I didn’t get my rhythm until like Week 3, Week 4. So, I can see his game picking up from here.
“I don’t think he was trying to be any towards of way [Sunday] — he was just upset that they lost. I totally understand. I have a ton of respect for that guy. I want him to do extremely well just like any other guy until we play on that day. And after the game, we can be cool. But I’m definitely rooting for him and want to see him do extremely well.”
Asked about Stroud minutes after the loss, Williams said they “shook hands at the end of the game, said, ‘Good luck, stay healthy.'”