Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford is a professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL). He currently holds the quarterback position for the Los Angeles Rams. He was an NFL Comeback Player of the Year, a Pro Bowler, and a Pro Bowl Offensive MVP.

Born on February 7, 1988 in Tampa, Stafford attended Highland Park High School where he was ranked as the top high school quarterback in the country. He attended the University of Georgia where he received plenty of awards and honors for an exceptional college football career. He was the first overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft and he signed his contract with the Detroit Lions.

During his rookie year, he became the starting quarterback of the Lions and became the youngest quarterback in the league to throw five touchdowns in a game. Coming back from an injury in his rookie season, Stafford had another injury in the 2010 season. He was named as the AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2011 and was rank 41 in the league.

The 2012 season proved to be a challenging season for Stafford as his touchdown passes was cut down to half. He made it to the 100th place on the Top 100 Players and was also named the Pro Bowl Offensive MVP of 2014. Stafford achieved 25,000 passing yards during the 2015 season and became the first quarterback to complete more than 60 percent of his passes in 16 games.

In 2017, he was ranked 31st and was the passing yards leader in 2017. He reached another milestone next season as he reached 30,000 career passing yards. The next season was very inconsistent for him and the rest of the team. His current player statistics are 5,405 pass attempts, 3,372 pass completions, 62.4 completion percentage, 237 – 129 touchdowns – interceptions, 38,526 passing yards, and 88.4 passer rating.

In 2021, the Rams moved to trade him in, exchanging Jared Goff for him in a package. Stafford paid dividends, leading the Rams to Super Bowl LVI.

Achievements:

• Pro Bowl (2014)
• Pro Bowl Offensive MVP (2014)
• NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2011)
• First-team All-American (2008)