Tom Brady shares what he likes about Texans' C.J. Stroud

During a recent appearance on "The Pivot Podcast," future Hall of Famer and soon-to-be Fox lead NFL analyst Tom Brady explained why he's a big fan of Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.

"I really appreciate where he came from and all the expectations that he had, and then what [he went] and put together last year with a lot of humility," Brady said about Stroud, as shared by Josh Criswell of the Houston Chronicle. "When I watch quarterbacks, the first thing I watch is, 'Does he endear himself to his teammates?' ... He does feel like one of the guys."

Stroud entered the NFL as the second pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and exceeded expectations en route to earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Per Pro-Football-Reference, he ended his first pro regular season ranked first among qualified players with an average of 273.9 passing yards per game and sixth with a 100.8 passer rating. 

Stroud tossed 23 touchdown passes and five interceptions over 15 games before he guided Houston to a blowout 45-14 wild-card playoff win over the Cleveland Browns. He's a big reason DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Texans seventh among the betting favorites at +1600 odds to win Super Bowl LIX as of Wednesday afternoon. 

Brady spent time last spring with then-rookie quarterbacks such as Stroud and emphasized the importance of quickly building positive relationships with teammates. It was later learned that Stroud paid for flights and hotel rooms so he could get in some additional reps with offensive skill players following the team's springtime workouts. 

"They know you so intimately," Brady added during the podcast about his experiences with teammates. "You can't fool people in a locker room. You can't bull---- your way through a football season. Maybe you can for one year if you're a good actor, but people really are going to know who you are."

Earlier this week, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated mentioned how Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback Russell Wilson allegedly struggled "relating to his teammates" while with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. Continuing to follow Brady's advice could help Stroud avoid similar problems as the 22-year-old works to become one of the top stars at the sport's most important position.