The Los Angeles Rams were all in when they decided to acquire Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions and traded Jared Goff in the deal. Once the season started, I noticed two things. The first was how comfortable Matthew looked in Los Angeles. He was finally playing under an offensive-minded guy who knew how to call plays and orchestrate an offense. The second was that he was never the problem in Detroit as so many people now realized. Matthew led the Rams to their first division title since 2018 and a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in February. The defending champs decided to reward the veteran quarterback with a contract extension. A four-year deal worth $160 million. $135 million of that is guaranteed.
I’ve always liked the swagger and moxie he plays with. Matthew has always had what I call a “live arm” meaning he spreads the football around to the open receiver. It doesn’t matter if you’re the fourth or fifth option. If you’re open, he’s getting you the football. Sometimes, he plays with the gunslinger mentality, and it gets him into trouble. I know the turnovers can be a problem here and there, but when he’s locked in, he’s tough to limit. When given time in the pocket, Matthew can make all the throws from the pocket. The short ones, the intermediate ones, and the passes deep down the field. The one thing he’s never received enough credit for is his arm strength. He’s confident enough to feel he can fit any pass into the tightest of windows. There’s a lot of zip behind his passes. It’s like Russell Wilson with how he’s able to drop the ball in that breadbasket. Matthew can move the pocket in either direction and make those throws on the run. He allows his receivers to buy time to get open.
2021 was the best I’ve ever seen him look. Early on in the year, he was playing at an MVP level. I don’t think he gets enough credit. He’s been the quarterback behind two of the best seasons put together by a wide receiver. Calvin Johnson recorded the most receiving yards in a season in 2012 with Stafford as his quarterback and just last season, Cooper Kupp won the triple crown for receivers, and look who the guy was throwing him the ball! Matthew has earned this extension. He’ll be in LA for the foreseeable future.
