FOXBOROUGH — When the game was over Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud sought out Patriots rookie Drake Maye.
The second-year Houston star has become the measuring stick for quarterbacks succeeding right away and knows how hard a trick that is to pull off. So he made it a point to find Maye, who made his debut on Sunday, to share some wisdom at the Texans, 41-21 win over New England at Gillette Stadium.
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“I gave him a little word of encouragement. I thought he played really solid,” Stroud said. “Definitely feel like he’ll get better and better as he keeps going. … I told him how much I believed in him, and I hope to see him do well in his league.”
Maye completed 20 of 33 throws for 243 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and a lost fumble. He was sacked four times.
What does Stroud know now that he wished he knew when he was in Maye’s shoes last year? He had a list ready to answer.
“Honestly, just take completions. Stay in the positive. Make guys around you better,” he said. “Those are the three things I’d want to know,” he said. “It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s not easy. He hopefully has a team helping him like I did last year. I had so many guys helping me.”
Together Stroud and those guys took Houston to the playoffs last year and to a 5-1 start in 2024. Stroud completed 20 of 31 passes for 192 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on Sunday.
Stroud stressed knowing that there would be tough plays and tough days. He said to be prepared that they’re coming, but know that they don’t last.
“Just be yourself. Everything that got you here would take care of where you want to go. Really, just trust yourself. Trust that you’ll eventually figure it out,” he said. “You’ll have bad days, you’ll have good days. There’s days where you look at yourself and like, ‘Man, I’m the worst quarterback in the world.’ But it’s always about getting up the next day and keep going.”
