Will Anderson has placed his bets on CJ Stroud being the best quarterback in the league.
Will Anderson Jr woke up and chose chaos, or confidence or maybe both. The Texans star recently said that his teammate, CJ Stroud, is the best quarterback in the NFL. Not one of the best, not on his way, the best. Period! Mic drop.
Let’s be honest. That is a bold take. This league still has Patrick Mahomes doing wizard things. Josh Allen is throwing lasers through blizzards. Lamar Jackson is out here running like a video game cheat code. Joe Burrow exists. But Will Anderson Jr did not blink. He said what he said and he meant it.
#Texans DE Will Anderson said he told CJ Stroud “I still think you’re the best quarterback in the league hands down.” pic.twitter.com/7qIrgoTNSA
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) January 19, 2026
“I told him, ‘I still think you’re the best quarterback in this league, hands down. There’s nobody better than you,'” Anderson told reporters. “We’re behind him, we rally behind him, and obviously we didn’t have the outcome that we wanted, but that’s what we have the offseason for, to get better.”
Anderson is being a good and supportive teammate and deserves props for that, but in a world where Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow exist, there isn’t a serious argument to be made in favor of Stroud as the game’s best quarterback.
Mahomes, for instance, is a two-time MVP, three-time Super Bowl champion and has just 10 interceptions in 21 career playoff games. Stroud has never gotten past the AFC Divisional Round and now has six interceptions in six career playoff games. There are levels to this.
The beauty of this quote is the energy. It is teammate hype at its finest. It is locker room loyalty. It is also a little bit of trash talk. And the NFL runs on that.
Stroud does not need to say anything. His teammate already said it for him. Now the pressure is on. Every throw will be judged. Every game will be compared. That is what happens when someone crowns you early.
