Getty Matthew Stafford stretches before a game.
Matthew Stafford has led the Detroit Lions ever since he was the team’s top pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, and with change on the minds of many in the city this week, the question was asked, would Stafford ever demand to be traded so that he might win?
Not true, according to his wife Kelly Stafford. Asked a question on her Instagram by a fan regarding if Stafford would ever demand a trade so that he might win a ring somewhere else, the answer provided was unequivocally no. Stafford is committed to the city where he started, and wants to win for the fans there according to his wife.
In a response that was screen shotted by a fan on Twitter, Stafford shows how motivated she and her husband are to stick in Detroit for the long haul to win:
I love them so much. The way Matthew and Kelly have adopted Detroit as their home is amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better representative of the Lions. #OnePride
“He wants a championship for this city as much as y’all do. This is our home too. They’ll have to ship him out if they don’t want him. He isn’t going anywhere by choice,” Stafford wrote.
That certainly fits the narrative. He signed a massive contract extension a few years back and continues to love Detroit. His family has also made the city a home and been embraced by Lions fans. The hope is the team can build around him properly so that the quarterback spot isn’t the lightning rod for criticism it has been through the years in Detroit.
The bet is the Lions will remain committed to Stafford, because he’s got plenty of talent to work with, even if he doesn’t yet have the jewelry needed to prove it. Obviously, Stafford believes in the plan just as much to stay loyal.
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Golden Tate a Believer
After calling Stafford the best he’s played with at the position recently, the former Lions wideout expanded on that more in a recent piece by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press by saying that he believes if Stafford played elsewhere, he’d already have some championship rings to his credit, because he is that talented on the field. That’s likely where the question arose.
Tate, now a wideout with the New York Giants, explained he thinks Stafford would be decorated if he didn’t play in Detroit, a place that’s been rankled by football inconsistency for over 58 years. The reasoning? Stafford can make all kinds of throws and has plenty of talent to rely on, even though the team hasn’t exactly been great that he’s played with.
Anything’s Possible
Doing his best to try and shift the narrative, Stafford has been on a tear so far this season, putting up more touchdowns than interceptions while also going over 1,000 yards already on the young season. He’s played consistent and looks the part of a guy who is ready to make the 30s the best years of his career. The Lions also have a better offense under Stafford now, as they are being led by Darrell Bevell, a guy who has worked with elite quarterbacks and elite offenses before.
This season, Stafford’s play has been a breath of fresh air for the team, and they’ve needed him playing well to have the respectable start they have had thus far. It seems the team’s new offense, which is putting up numbers and popular in the locker room, is suiting its quarterback well. Mistakes have been limited and the big plays have come more freely and frequently.
Stafford seems to be on the right track toward getting the Lions over the hump. Either way, he’s going to fight to be able to try to do so and will stick it out for the mission of winning as long as he can.
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