Over the course of his first two NFL seasons, CJ Stroud has already faced the likes of Joe Flacco, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes in the NFL Playoffs. It's possible that when all is said and done, all four of those opposing quarterbacks could end up being Hall of Fame bound. But before Flacco, Jackson, Herbert or Mahomes ever end up in Canton, Stroud's opponent this Monday night will have a gold jacket and a matching bronze bust to call his own.
While Stroud and the Texans offense attempts to put enough points on the board to propel Houston to the Divisional Round of the Playoffs for the third straight year, the Texans D will have to contend with four-time MVP, Super Bowl champion and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers on Monday night.
Nobody in their right frame of mind would dispute that Rodgers' prime years are well behind him, and for all we know, the Steelers offense may not have any juice left after eeking out an AFC North title win on the final night of the regular season, but heading into what will be the final game of Wild Card weekend, CJ Stroud has nothing but respect for the 21 year veteran who may be playing his last game on Monday night.
"I’m a big fan of Aaron," Stroud said this week, per Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated. "I love what he does. I think he’s a top three quarterback to ever touch a football. He’s done some really cool things in the sport. His mechanics are through the roof. His ability to use his pronation on his wrist. How he flicks the ball is dope. I'm a big fan of his."
This is actually a slight departure from what Stroud has said of Rodgers in the past. In 2024, Stroud was critical of Rodgers in at least one department... how the future Hall of Famer treated his teammates. At the very least, he seemed to suggest that Rodgers' inability to connect with teammates impacted how much he's won throughout his career.
"You know what I think it is? I've talked to Tom Brady about this because he's a good mentor to me," Stroud said, via Athlon Sports. "What he told me is his teammates, and how he treats his teammates. And that's where I think it falls off for Rodgers. We don't know how Aaron Rodgers treats his teammates, but you can guarantee that Tom Brady treats his teammates right because how he got those rings."
Stroud continued, noting that he'd prefer to end up with Eli Manning's career rather than Rodgers' because, "Eli's got two (rings)" and stated, "If you give Matthew Stafford a chance like Aaron Rodgers had, I guarantee you he might have had more rings."
Although it's easy to position this as a matchup between CJ Stroud and Aaron Rodgers, in reality, it will be the Texans defense that needs to do its job against the aging quarterback to ensure that Rodgers doesn't take one more step toward a second Super Bowl ring.