C.J. Stroud Explains Advice He Gave To Caleb Williams During Viral Interaction
Following the Chicago Bears' loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday night, a video went viral of an interaction between the two starting quarterbacks. During post-game handshakes, C.J. Stroud appeared to offer some advice or encouragement to Williams. But Williams didn't seem too receptive to it.
In the second game of his NFL career, Williams threw for just 174 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns. He was sacked seven times and took 11 QB hits in the Bears' 17-13 loss.
After the game, Stroud — who was mic'd up — told the No. 1 overall pick "Good job out there" and to "stop taking those hits."
Williams began to walk away, but Stroud pulled him back into the conversation and said, "Come here. Learn from those mistakes. And everything that you got, bro, is in you already, bro. You're going to be a hell of a player in this league."
Although Stroud is only one month older than Williams, he certainly has some insight to offer. The Texans' QB1 is the reigning NFL Rookie of the Year and took his team to the playoffs last season. He threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions with a 100.8 passer rating in 2023 to cap off one of the best rookie quarterback seasons ever.
But while speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Stroud wanted to make it clear that he wasn't trying to big league his opponent.
"I had some of the best advice given to me last year and me and Caleb, I was not trying to treat him like I was trying to ‘little bro’ him or nothing," Stroud said. "He knows that, too. I have a ton of respect for him. 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."
C.J. Stroud Is ‘Rooting’ For Caleb Williams
Drafting Caleb Williams was supposed to signal a bright new era in Chicago. But, so far, the Bears' offense is still trying to figure things out. Chicago is 1-1, and through two starts, Williams has completed just 56.1% of his passes and has yet to throw a touchdown.
It's worth noting that Stroud himself lost the first two starts of his NFL career — both by double digits. He was also sacked 11 times in those two losses. Stroud found his groove after that.
C.J. Stroud offers words of encouragement to Caleb Williams.
(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Given Stroud's experience, though, Williams' response to his post-game advice rubbed some fans the wrong way. Many fans on social media accused Williams of being "egotistical" or uninterested in accepting guidance from a fellow young quarterback.
READ: Caleb Williams, C.J. Stroud Caught On Camera Having Awkward Interaction
But Stroud doesn't believe that's the case.
"I want him to do amazing in this league. I think he will," Stroud said. "I think that he’ll get his groove and once you get your rhythm, 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 sort of way. 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."
We'll see if Williams, too, starts to turn things around in the coming weeks. The Bears make a short road trip to take on the Indianapolis Colts — and another young QB, Anthony Richardson — on Sunday afternoon.