At first, C.J. Stroud was defending Aaron Rodgers for still being a legendary quarterback despite having just one Super Bowl ring and never being back since that title, but then the Texans’ second-year quarterback was put on the spot.
When asked if he’d rather have the career of Rodgers or Eli Manning, Stroud selected the former Giants signal-caller.
“You want the rings, dog,” Stroud said during an appearance on the “Million Dollaz Worth Of Game” podcast. “Eli got two.”
Manning won a pair of Super Bowls with the Giants at the end of the 2007 and 2011 seasons,
Rodgers, though, only won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2010 season, when the Packers defeated the Steelers.
He hasn’t returned to the game despite having a lengthy career — highlighted by four MVP awards, an award that Manning never won — that has positioned him to one day land in the Hall of Fame.
Stroud also said that if Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford had the same opportunity that Rodgers had, he would’ve won three or four rings.
“If you give Matthew Stafford a chance like Aaron Rodgers had, I guarantee he might’ve had more rings for sure,” Stroud said on the podcast.
He referenced his conversation with mentor Tom Brady and how the treatment of teammates — and how “we don’t know how Aaron Rodgers treats his teammates” — contributed to Brady’s seven Super Bowl titles, though he later clarified and said “you cannot take Aaron Rodgers’ greatness away.”
Stroud and the Texans made promising strides in his rookie season.
They completed a stunning turnaround from a 3-13 record in 2022 — which allowed them to take Stroud at No. 2 overall — to winning the AFC South last year, though they ended up falling to the Ravens, 34-10, in the wild-card round.
After throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions during the regular season, Stroud won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award as he meshed alongside receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell in the Texans’ offense.
Houston then acquired All-Pro wideout and four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs from the Bills this offseason.
“I think we have a lot of potential, a ton of guys who have played a lot of meaningful ball — a lot of guys who can do different things with the ball, which is amazing,” Stroud told reporters in April. “And with all those expectations, all the outside noise, like right now is the time to focus. Right now is the time to build the foundation and build the chemistry.”
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