Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football at the University of Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, he was selected first overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft. Ranking in the top 20 of all-time in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns, Stafford is currently fourth all-time in passing yards per game and is the fastest player in NFL history to have reached 40,000 career passing yards.

As the Lions' primary starter from 2009 to 2020, Stafford had a standout year in 2011, becoming only the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season, while also leading Detroit to their first playoff appearance since 1999. He led the Lions to two further playoff appearances in 2014 and 2016, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2014 and setting an NFL record for the most comeback wins in a season in 2016. After mutually agreeing to part ways with the Lions, Stafford was traded to the Rams on March 18th, 2021.

During his debut season with the Rams, he earned the NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor twice and led the team to their first NFC Championship under his leadership. His efforts culminated in leading the Rams to a victory in Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals with a final score of 23-20. Stafford has been profiled by notable publications including The New York Times, Slate, and ESPN. He has also contributed an essay to The Players’ Tribune titled "We Can’t Just Stick to Football," advocating for racial justice within the NFL. His insights into leadership, teamwork, and overcoming obstacles are informed by his extensive experience and notable achievements in professional football.