Throughout NFL history, there have been great players who haven’t been able to reach their full potential on bad teams. While Calvin Johnson ended up as a Hall of Fame wide receiver, he didn’t have the team or individual success that he might have on another team. Running back Steven Jackson is one that Los Angeles Rams fans are very familiar with. Tight end Tony Gonzalez won a single playoff game in his 17-year career.
That was the trajectory that Matthew Stafford was on for the first 12 years of his career. In 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, Stafford only made one Pro Bowl. That was despite throwing for 4,900 or more yards and a combined 61 touchdowns in 2011 and 2012. In three playoff appearances, he hadn’t won a single playoff game. While in Detroit, he didn’t ever receive a single MVP vote. Stafford was on track to having a similar career to Carson Palmer, who was an incredible talent, but lacked the team and individual success.
Throughout his first 12 years with the Lions, the narrative was always, ‘if only Matthew Stafford was on a good team.’ In Detroit, Stafford played in only 11 games where a teammate rushed for at least 100 yards. In 2023, it was the first time in 15 years that Stafford had a back-to-back 100-yard rusher. Only twice did Stafford play with a top-15 defense. Including interim coaches, Stafford played for four different head coaches that included Jim Schwartz, Jim Caldwell, Matt Patricia, and Darrell Bevell.
When the Rams traded for Matthew Stafford in 2021, it was with the idea that they needed a more proven quarterback to take their roster to the top. During his first season, Stafford showed what he could do when placed in a good situation. Stafford quarterbacked one of the best wide receiver seasons of all-time when Cooper Kupp won the triple crown in 2021. Sean McVay took advantage of Stafford’s skill set and cognitive abilities which resulted in one of the best offenses in the NFL.
For a quarterback that had the, ‘can’t win the big one’ monkey on his back, the Rams and Stafford beat three teams with a winning record in the regular season while winning the NFC West. Stafford then led three fourth-quarter comebacks on his way to winning a Super Bowl.
In 2021, the Rams got exactly what they wanted when they traded for Stafford. They got a quarterback that could take the roster over the top. Sean McVay and Aaron Donald got their Super Bowl rings that they desperately craved. Cooper Kupp earned the triple crown and won MVP. Andrew Whitworth got to go out on top to finish an outstanding career. Matthew Stafford may have proved the doubters wrong and won a Super Bowl, but at that point it was the Rams that had won the trade with the Lions.
On Thursday evening, Matthew Stafford won the AP NFL MVP award after throwing for 4,700 yards and 46 touchdowns. Prior to the result being announced, there were questions regarding Matthew Stafford’s Hall of Fame case. Now, there are seemingly no doubts. If Stafford were to retire tomorrow, he’d be the 11th quarterback to win a Super Bowl and an MVP. Nine of the previous 10 are in the Hall of Fame. The only one missing is Joe Theismann who had a short peak.
During the 2010s decade, there are quarterbacks such as Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, and Russell Wilson who will get Hall of Fame consideration. All of those players aren’t going to get in. It’s very possible that only three of them do with Roethlisberger and Rodgers being two locks. Prior to joining the Rams, Stafford’s career was much more in line with Rivers and Ryan than Roethlisberger and Rodgers. To put it simply, he was a fringe Hall of Fame player.
In the five years since joining the Rams, Stafford has won a Super Bowl and now has an MVP. The Super Bowl alone put him ahead of Rivers. Stafford has three more playoff wins than Ryan and two more than Rivers. Stafford has also led his teams to the playoffs more times than Ryan and the same number of time as Rivers. With two more playoff wins, Stafford will have as many as Brees and Wilson and one more than Eli Manning.
After trading for Stafford in 2021, the Rams won the infamous Matthew Stafford trade. By taking home the MVP award on Thursday, Matthew Stafford became the real winner of the Matthew Stafford trade. Stafford very likely never gets the individual recognition for an MVP-caliber season had he stayed in Detroit.
With a Super Bowl win and an MVP, Stafford is now almost assuredly a Hall of Fame player. In five years, he has quieted any doubts of what he could have done with a more stable environment in the early part of his career. After winning MVP, the real winner of the Matthew Stafford trade is Matthew Stafford.
