C.J. Stroud shares what advice he’d give Drake Maye after his first start

"Definitely feel like he'll get better and better as he keeps going."

The Houston Texans have established themselves as a legitimate Super Bowl contender in record time following the ascension of C.J. Stroud at quarterback.

The Patriots hope to follow a similar trajectory in the years ahead, especially if Drake Maye continues to build on the promise he showcased during Sunday’s 41-21 loss to the Texans

After Sunday’s game, Stroud met up with the Patriots’ 22-year-old QB on the field at Gillette Stadium — offering some words of advice for New England’s new signal-caller.

“Yeah, I gave him a little word, you know, tried to give him a little word of encouragement,” Stroud said of his postgame meeting with Maye. “I thought he played really solid, you know. Definitely feel like he’ll get better and better as he keeps going.”

Maye has a way to go if he wants to put himself in the same conversation as Stroud, who exceeded plenty of expectations in his rookie season in 2023.

The second-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Stroud led Houston to an unexpected playoff berth in his first season in the league — earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just five interceptions.

Maye — the third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — put his potential on full display Sunday.

He completed 20 of his 33 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns, giving New England’s grounded offense a shot in the arm thanks to his ability to heave the ball down the field.

Maye also gained 38 yards on the ground off of five carries, making him New England’s leading rusher in the loss.

As expected, there were some growing pains along the way for Maye in his first NFL start. He was knocked for three turnovers, leading to 14 points for Houston in the 20-point win.

But Stroud was impressed with what he saw from his fellow QB on Sunday, offering up more words of advice for Maye after the game.

“Just be yourself, you know,” Stroud said. “Everything that got you here will take care of where you want to go, and really just trust yourself. Trust that you’ll eventually figure it out.

“You’ll have bad days. You’ll have good days. There’s days where you’ll look at yourself like, man, I’m the worst quarterback in the world, but it’s always about getting up the next day and keep going. So I would just tell him that and I told him how much I believed in him and I hope to see him do well in this league.”

Stroud has been a fan of Maye long before the young QB got Patriots fans out of their seats on Sunday.

During the 2024 NFL Draft, Stroud declared Maye as his favorite QB in that draft class during Bleacher Report’s draft show.

“I feel like Drake Maye is [the most NFL ready],” Stroud said. “You watch his tape, just his arm talent jumps off.”

Even if Maye’s arm, athleticism, and football IQ stand out, the supporting cast around him does raise some questions about just how soon New England can right the ship.

While Stroud thrived in his first season in Houston, he also benefited from a stout offensive line featuring Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil and former Patriots guard Shaq Mason. Stroud also had no shortage of targets to throw to with emerging playmakers like Tank Dell and Nico Collins in place.

Maye won’t be granted that same level of pass protection this year in Foxborough, while young wideouts like DeMario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte shouldn’t be included in the same conversation as players like Collins.

But even if Maye and the Patriots are another year or two away from making sizable steps forward, Stroud believes that New England’s new QB is on the right track.

“Honestly, just take completions, stay in the positive, and make guys around you better,” Stroud said of his advice for Maye. “I would say those are the three things I would want to know, and it doesn’t happen overnight.

“It’s not easy. He has a — hopefully — a team helping him like I had last year. I had so many guys helping me. Definitely hope that helped him, what I said. But those three things definitely helped me on top of just being disciplined.”

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.