Texas isn’t a lone star state in the NFL these days. It’s overflowing with stars.
One of the youngest, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, is at the point in his stardom when he isn’t backing down from mocking some big-name rivals in his state. During an interview with Boardroom, Stroud addressed Dallas Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons.
“He has terrible takes,” Stroud said. “But also, he’s a great friend of mine. I have nothing but great things to say of him other than his takes.”
Stroud seemed to reference the takes Parsons started to dish out on his podcast, “The Edge,” starting last football season.
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![C.J. Stroud rolls out of pocket](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/01/1200/675/C.J.-Stroud.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans drops back to pass against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an AFC wild-card playoff game at NRG Stadium Jan. 13, 2024, in Houston. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Parsons’ podcast was so successful last year, he will be returning to do it this year. And he was even promoted to an executive level role at Bleacher Report. Parsons took on the role of president of Bleacher Report’s Gridiron division, which focuses on the company’s football creative content, in May.
Parsons had a handful of unique takes on the podcast last year.
In one episode in September, while discussing the relationship between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Parsons encouraged other NFL players to pursue relationships with high-status celebrity women and specifically named Zendaya as someone players should pursue. He said this despite Zendaya being in a long-term relationship with actor Tom Holland since 2021.
After the Cowboys’ 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills in December, Parsons argued that multiple NFL TV analysts root for his team “to fail.”
“Former players are waiting for other current players to fail, so that way they can have something to talk about,” he said. “It’s not even to just get into names. I mean, I feel like, at this point, you kind of know who you are. And it’s like why do you want a person to lose so bad? It just seems a lot of people are just waiting for people to fail.”
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![Micah Parsons vs Rams](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/Micah-Parsons2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys before a preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium Aug. 11, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Ahead of the wild-card playoff round in January, Parsons made an attempt to predict each winner of the six playoff games that weekend. Parsons went 2-4 in those predictions, which included a prediction his Cowboys would beat the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay won 48-32 in Dallas.
The podcast drew criticism from Parsons’ Cowboys teammate, safety Malik Hooker, June 27. Hooker criticized Parsons during a podcast appearance of his own when he was a guest on the “All Facts No Brakes” podcast with former Pro Bowl receiver Keyshawn Johnson.
“My advice would be for Micah, it would be: Just make sure we’re all right and being where your feet are,” Hooker said June 27. “Because if we’re out working, and the run game’s terrible, but you’re doing a podcast every week — and you know the run game is terrible — then what are you really caring about? Are you caring about the crowd that’s watching your podcast or are you caring about the success of our team and the Super Bowl that we’re trying to reach?”
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C.J. Stroud and Micah Parsons attend a game between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers durin the 2024 NBA Playoffs April 28, 2024, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. (David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
Parsons has insisted he will continue to do the podcast, and it won’t be a distraction to his team, adding he doesn’t try to be controversial with what he says.
“I don’t think no one really cares about what I’m doing on a Monday afternoon when I’m at home with my kids,” Parsons told reporters Aug. 21. “So, why would they care if I’m on Xbox? I think we all get our own free time. When y’all away from here, are y’all thinking about me at home? I would hope not.
“I try not to say (anything) controversial, but everyone always is gonna be drawn to something. They’re going to try to take one thing. We all have opinions. We’re not going to agree to what everyone says. That’s life.”
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