Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. told reporters this week that "God is good" as he spoke publicly about his new three-year, $150 million contract extension, repeatedly referencing his faith in Christ. 

Anderson gave a press conference Tuesday, wearing a cross around his neck and beginning with, “Thank you, Jesus.”

The NFL player told Jesus, “I owe all I am to you,” adding, “Thank you for blessing me and keeping me and holding me together all these years.”

“Without you, I am nothing,” the 24-year-old edge rusher said. “You have truly been gracious and loving to me. I love you, and I will always glorify your name. And I owe all the glory to God, who is able to [put] His mighty power at work within us to accomplish infinitely more than we … might ask or think.”

After thanking his family for their spiritual support, Anderson also thanked his “spiritual family” for “prayers and keeping me grounded in the Word and … never letting me forget how powerful God is and that He always has my back and is always standing on the front line with me.”

He also delivered a message to “every little kid, teenager, boy or girl,” urging them to “rise above the expectations of what society wants you to be.”

“With God, everything is possible,” he added. “You are not what this world wants you to be but everything God has called you to be. Walk in your purpose and your light, however that may look. And let nothing stop you. You are called. You are chosen. You are ordained. You are godly and holy. And most of all, you are loved. Whatever God has planned for you shall come to pass. Head held high always. Be bold. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for your Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

When asked about his status as the “highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history,” Anderson responded, “It’s really never ever been about the money for me.” He added, “It’s always just been about walking in my purpose and doing what God has called me to do.”

Anderson, who will make an annual average of $50 million per season with $134 million guarenteed, ranks as the 11th highest paid NFL player for the upcoming season, behind 10 quarterbacks: Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert, Brock Purdy, Jared Goff, Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Dak Prescott. 

Anderson, entering his fourth NFL season out of the University of Alabama, told reporters that his high school football coach is a “man of God” and expressed gratitude that “God has just been working unbelievably in my life.” Insisting that he "didn’t ask for any of this,” Anderson credited God with helping him realize his athletic talent.

“I found out I was good in high school my sophomore year,” he recalled. “Then God was like ‘OK, we can go to college.’”

If he could speak to his younger self, Anderson said he would tell himself to “stay true to your authentic self, man, and let God lead you.”

Discussing his relationship with Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, who is also an outspoken Christian, Anderson described him as “grounded in His faith," which “spreads throughout the whole locker room."

“He implements it in … what he wants this team to be and how he wants this team to come up,” Anderson said. 

Anderson also spoke of his visit to a San Francisco prison with the ministry God Behind Bars, recalling how he saw "how strong their faith was.” He described the faith of prisoners as “one of the biggest things that I don’t think is talked about enough in Christianity.”

“When I walked in there, I mean, these guys are facing life. They don’t get to see their kids, they don’t get to see their families, but their faith was so strong in Jesus Christ,” he said. “They’re like ‘the one thing that I can cling onto is my faith.’”

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/will-anderson-praises-jesus-as-he-becomes-highest-paid-non-qb.html