Houston’s C.J. Stroud Tells Others about Jesus Not as a ‘Cool’ Trend, but a Divine Calling

The rookie quarterback who guided Houston to a playoff appearance while being open about his Christian faith told media members this week he doesn’t talk about Jesus to get attention or to “look cool” but because it’s something “God called me to do.”

C.J. Stroud led the Texans to a divisional title and first-round playoff victory this season while setting records and — prior to an injury — making a strong case for NFL MVP. He referenced his faith after each game, as he did following Houston’s season-ending loss to the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend in the divisional round of the playoffs.

“I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” he said Saturday in a post-game news conference.

Earlier this season, Stroud said he viewed football as a platform for the gospel.

On Monday, Stroud said players in the NFL have reached out to him and thanked him for speaking out about his faith.

“I always tell people, it’s not me — it’s Him. [There’s] nothing I can do to ever repay what the Lord has done in my life,” Stroud told media members. “And I don’t want to — I just want to act in what He’s calling me to do. And I’m not perfect, I make mistakes every day. But at the same time, I know the God I serve is a forgiving and graceful God.”

He referenced comments made by Baltimore coach John Harbaugh, who quoted 1 Chronicles 29:11 after the Ravens defeated Stroud’s team.

“There’s a lot of us out here who love the Lord,” Stroud said. “… I appreciate everybody who reaches out, and I’m not doing it to look cool or whatever, but I’m doing it because that’s what God called me to do.”

The Texans finished 10-7 in the regular season. During the three prior seasons, they went 4-12 (2020), 4-13 (2022) and 3-13-1 (2023).

Following his team’s loss Saturday, Stroud said he leans on his faith “through thick and thin.”

“I’m really just blessed looking back on this year — this opportunity we had today to play in front of millions of people,” he said Saturday. “I’m just really grateful to God just [for] all the opportunities that He’s blessed me with. And I’m just going to lean on Him, and I know that this isn’t the end for me.”

Discussing his high school years and his college career at Ohio State, Stroud added, “I’ve grown as a person and as a man of God in a lot of different ways, so I’m just really blessed for that.”

Photo Courtesy: ©Getty Images/Julio Aguilar/Stringer
Video Courtesy: Fox 26 via YouTube

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

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