Is Stafford heading to Canton?
by Ken Fernando
Matthew Stafford is an interesting case study of a quarterback. He was always praised for his talent as a thrower yet success happened only later in his career. He was always a top-10 QB but never a top-5 QB. This brings up the question if he’s a hall of famer. Let’s take a look at his career and see how his resume stands out so far.
He was drafted 1st overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft and was immediately named the starter for the team. One of his career-defining moments came early when he threw the game-winning touchdown against the Cleveland Browns while having a separated shoulder. In 2011, he became the 3rd QB at that time to throw for over 5000+ yards in a season and almost broke the record for most pasing yards in a game. This was the first season he led the Lions to the Playoffs where they lost to the Saints.
As he got older, he was breaking passing records left and right. He had the most passing yards after 50 games and fastest to 20,000 passing yards. He was also getting praised for being one of the most clutch QBs as he had 5 game-winning drives in 2014. This led to his first selection to the Pro Bowl. His 2016 season was the stuff of legends as he had 8 4th quarter comebacks and led the Lions to the playoffs where they lost early on.
A quick summary of his career with the Lions was a great passer, clutch but he couldn’t lead his team over the hump. This led fans to wonder how he would do in a more complete team.
In 2021, Matthew Stafford was traded from the Lions to the Los Angeles Rams in a shocker of a deal. In his first regular season, he threw for 4,886 yards and 41 TDS. His connection with Cooper Kupp became the stuff of legends as the WR had one of the all time seasons. They worked together for 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 TDs. Kupp earned the Triple Crown for Receiving. Stafford led the Rams to a 12-5 record and a playoff appearance for the Rams. Fans were waiting to see if this was the time for Stafford to finally be a winner as he only made the Wild Card Round while in Detroit. After defeating the Cardinals in the Wild Card Round, the Bucaneers in the Divisional Round and the 49ers in the Championship Game, the stage was set for the Rams to face the Bengals in the Superbowl. In his final drive, Matt threw to Kupp for the game winning TD as the Rams had won the Superbowl. The monkey was off his back.
After a terrible 2022 season where he was riddled with injury, Stafford had strong 2023 and 2024 campaigns. In 2023, ironically, he faced the Detroit Lions led by Jared Goff in the Wild Card Round in Detroit. In a showdown for the ages, Goff and the Lions beat the Rams 24-23 and they won their first playoff game in over 30 years. In 2024, after Kupp and Puka Nacua got healthy, the Rams looked dynamic as they were once again in the playoffs. In the Divisional Round, the Philadelphia Eagles were too much as Saquon ran through them and won 28-22. If it’s any consolation, the Rams were the toughest opponent of the Eagles’ Superbowl Run.
Let’s check how his stats compare to the rest of his peers: (As of July 2025)
| CATEGORY | STATS | RANK |
| Passing Yards | 59,809 | 10th All Time/2nd Current |
| Passing TDs | 377 | 10th All Time/2nd Current |
| Passing Yards/Game | 269.4 | 6th All Time/3rd Current |
| 4th Quarter Comebacks | 38 | 4th All Time/1st Current |
In the important categories, his name is all over the place. His longetivity has helped him rank highly all time and among active players. He has many years left to play so his stats will get better and he can climb up the rankings.
With everything that has been said, Matthew Stafford will have a bust in Canton, Ohio with the greats.
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