When it comes to the LA Rams offense, veteran starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is the undeniable face of the franchise. He is the guy who showed up and in his first NFL season playing for HC Sean McVay, led the team to victory in Super Bowl LVI. While the team’s 12-5 record was something new for Stafford, his ability to connect with veteran WR Cooper Kupp was not. Kupp fell short of the NFL All-Time Single Season Receiver Record by less than 20 yards.
That record was set by Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson, who caught passes by QB Matthew Stafford.What did change for the no-look passing veteran quarterback is his proficiency in the postseason. 0-3 as a starter in the NFL Playoffs for the Detroit Lions, Stafford was on fire and burned through all competition to land the Rams as the rightful owners of the Lombardi Trophy as he led the team to a 4-0 postseason record.
That’s horrific, and is just one minor example of the perspective that somehow, someway, veteran QB Matthew Stafford has lost his NFL proficiency. That in itself is pretty unbelievable, because he earned just his second Pro Bowl honors in 2023 out of his 15 NFL seasons. So it seems that Stafford is not getting older, he is getting better.
The most ironic aspect of the ‘ranking’ subject falls on the fact that Matthew Stafford played just 15 games in 2023. Oh, and he was the main reason why rookie WR Puka Nacua set the All-Time Rookie Receiver Record in 2023.
So that makes the NFL single-season record holders all catching passes from the same NFL quarterback.
So, how can he be 42nd out of 100 NFL players? Of the quarterbacks listed above, which if any can claim the same? Can any of those quarterbacks be so good as the contribute to their receiver’s record shattering season? Of has the NFL gotten so effective at marketing the NFL Draft that rookies and young quarterbacks are ranked far higher than the veterans whose careers have shown an ability not just to play well for good teams, but to play well for bad teams too?
Yet, now that the LA Rams and veteran QB Matthew Stafford have settled their contractual controversy, NFL rumors are beginning to grow over the belief that this could be the last season for Stafford in a Rams jersey. Let’s think that through a bit and see if it holds water.