On Sunday, Matthew Stafford proved his doubters wrong once and for all as he and the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 to win Super Bowl LVI.
Prior to the game, there had been plenty of talk about whether or not Stafford has already done enough in his career to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and after the game, that talked ramped up a notch.
Lions beat writer Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, who happens to be a Hall of Fame voter, seems to think that though Stafford helped his cause by winning a Super Bowl, he still has a lot of things missing from his resume, including All-Pro selections and never being considered one of the best at his position.
From Detroit Free Press:
As a voter who has now sat through seven long selection meetings, I can tell you championships are an important part of a player’s resume, especially a quarterback’s, and they seem extra meaningful when they come with a tidy storyline like this one: The Rams sent three draft picks and quarterback Jared Goff to the Lions, believing Stafford was the missing piece they needed for a Super Bowl. Twelve months later, Stafford helped deliver a ring.
But no one gets elected on titles or statistics alone. Stafford, who almost certainly will retire with some of the most prolific passing numbers in NFL history, has never been a first- or second-team All-Pro selection and never been considered one of the top few quarterbacks in the game. He couldn’t crack the Tom Brady-Peyton Manning-Drew Brees-Aaron Rodgers tier during his Lions days, and he’s considered just outside of the Rodgers-Patrick Mahomes-Josh Allen-Joe Burrow level now.
There’s no shame in that, of course, but it’s the Hall of Fame and there are plenty of voters who will need more convincing for someone who was not considered in the top 10% of starters at his position during his career.
If Eli Manning gets in, in a few years, and Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan after that, Stafford would be a no-brainer. Until then, the debate will go on.
Nation, do you agree with Birkett or do you think Stafford is already a Hall of Famer?
