It seems like the longer Matthew Stafford plays, the more respect he gets as one of the better quarterbacks in the league. Coming off a terrific 2023 campaign in which he finished eighth in MVP voting and fourth in the Comeback Player of the Year race, he’s poised to have another strong season in 2024 with an improved offensive line and an outstanding receiving corps.
Though some fans might irrationally see him as “Stat Padford” for the gaudy numbers he put up in Detroit despite never winning the big game, his peers think very highly of him. ESPN polled 103 NFL players on six questions about quarterbacks, one of which was the most underrated. Stafford tied with Brock Purdy for first, receiving 14 votes each.
Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff, Jordan Love and Bryce Young all tied for third with seven votes each.
Here’s what one NFC West player said about Stafford, via ESPN.
“When you’re at the level he’s been at for so long, people take it for granted a little bit. And being in Detroit, maybe the market for the attention wasn’t really there.
“Now that he’s in L.A. for a few years, hopefully that market catches up with the talent that he has.”
It’s been quite the offseason of praise for Stafford. He was voted the fifth-best quarterback in the league by NFL executives, coaches and scouts, landed at No. 42 on the top 100 players list and had two young quarterbacks – C.J. Stroud and Caleb Williams – recognize him as one of the best in the league right now.
It’s been a long time coming for the Super Bowl champion and even at the age of 36, he’s a premier passer with arm talent that’s on par with anyone else in the league.