Texans’ CJ Stroud explains postgame exchange with Bears’ Caleb Williams

Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud gave Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams some off-the-cuff advice following their Week 2 Sunday Night Football matchup.

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 ferocious defense.

Williams greeted Stroud and headed 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 has been made of this interaction, with some wondering whether Williams would view Stroud’s advice with gratitude or as a didactic affront.

Stroud wanted to clarify things Wednesday and make sure everyone knows his advice came from an admiration for his counterpart.

“It’s not like I’m trying to call him ‘little brother’ or anything like that,” Stroud told reporters at a news conference Wednesday. “He knows that. I have a lot of respect for him. I told him I respect him.”

NFL POWER RANKINGS: The Chiefs are still No. 1, but who else joins them in the top 5?

So what was Stroud’s main motivation in interacting with Williams? He wanted to pass on some of the advice he had received from veteran quarterbacks during his first season as a starter.

“A lot of players came up to me after the Games last year, and it meant a lot to me that those guys thought about giving me advice,” Stroud said. “So I just try to give back what the game has given me.”

Stroud also explained that he believes Williams will eventually “find his groove” as his rookie season progresses. The Texans quarterback acknowledged it took him three or four weeks into the 2023 NFL season to get into gear. From there, he won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and finished third in the league in single-season rushing yards with 4,108 in 15 starts.

Stroud was also unfazed by Williams’ apparent mood at the start of their post-match handshake.

“He was just upset about their loss,” Stroud said. “I totally understand.”

So there doesn’t appear to be any tension between the 2022 Heisman Trophy finalists.

“I have a lot of respect for the guy,” Stroud said of Williams. “I want him to do extremely well — like any other player — until we play that day. After the game, we can be cool.”

“But I definitely encourage him and I want to see him do extremely well.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CJ Stroud explains postgame exchange with Caleb Williams