Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has won the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Is he now a legit Hall of Fame candidate?
After 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford won a Super Bowl in his first year with the Los Angeles Rams. Lions’ fans cheered for him throughout the run as if he still the quarterback in Detroit, and Stafford acknowledged that support after the game as the confetti was flying.
It was a redemption story for Stafford. After years of being compromised by the Lions’ ineptitude, he escaped to an organization that was built to win. A team that pushed all their chips into the middle of the table to win a title.
The gamble paid off for the Rams. Any trade that brings home a championship has to be considered a success. Yet the media isn’t satisfied with crowning the Rams and turning their attention to the upcoming combine, free agency, and the draft.
Instead, the debate has started about Stafford’s worthiness for the Hall of Fame. It’s a question that cannot truly be answered until he hangs up his shoulder pads and calls it a career.
What wound up being the game-winning drive in Super Bowl LVi was a definining moment for Stafford, capping a postseason run that had more than one such moment. He had to perform in the playoffs to start to redefine his legacy, and did so.
Is Matthew Stafford a Hall of Famer?
The numbers don’t lie. If he retired today, Stafford would be 12th all-time in passing yards (49,995; regular seeason) and passing touchdowns (323). With less than two more seasons of full health and his typical production, he’ll be top-10 all-time in both categories. He also now has as many Super Bowl rings as Aaron Rodgers, who is a no-doubt Hall of Famer even if he finishes with just that one ring.
Many Stafford supporters will say he carried the Lions for years, then as soon as he was able to get away from Detroit to a winning organization he immediately won the Super Bowl. Both statements are correct. But Stafford was not flawless in the Lions’ failures.
The detractors of Stafford’s Hall of Fame case (paging Richard Sherman) will say he’s only earned one Pro Bowl selection in his career, and the only notable award he has gotten to this point is Comeback Player of the Year in 2011. Some will also point to him playing in the most offense-friendly era the NFL has ever seen.
Stafford probably has several years left as a very good quarterback, and he’s one of the best in Lions’ history. One day the Hall of Fame may open its doors to him. For right now, the debate is nothing more than a matter of opinion. Time will eventually tell if he gets a gold jacket or not.
But my answer to the question of Stafford’s Hall of Fame candidacy, at least for now, is ‘No.’