Matthew Stafford arrived for the Detroit Lions as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, stepping into a franchise that had just endured an 0–16 season—the first winless regular season in NFL history at the time. Over the years, he carried the Lions through multiple playoff pushes, but sustained postseason success always remained out of reach.
That chapter ultimately closed when Detroit sent Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in a major trade, a deal that brought Jared Goff back to the Lions as the centerpiece return.
With Goff under center, Detroit has reached levels the organization hadn’t seen in decades. The breakthrough included a memorable 2024 playoff run that featured a home postseason win over Stafford’s Rams, before the Lions advanced all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
Matthew Stafford Gets Honest About His Days With The Detroit Lions
While making a guest appearance on the Green Light podcast with two-time Super Bowl winner Chris Long, Stafford reflected back on a painful postseason loss in 2012 in the NFC wild-card game against the New Orleans Saints that pitted him against future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.
“That was all learning experiences, things that I’ve taken from,” Stafford said. “We started that game great. And I felt like at a certain point, I probably had to keep up with Drew and I think I threw one or two second-half picks trying to get us back in the game. If I just don’t do those, maybe—trust the other side of the ball, trust the defense, whatever it is—maybe we keep ourselves in the game longer and I can do something really great late.”
Meanwhile, he also looked back upon his infamous return to Detroit that resulted in a Lions postseason victory over the Rams.
“When I went back to Detroit and they hosted their first playoff game in however many years, that was electric,” Stafford said. “I mean, we ran out for pre-pre-warmups and there wasn’t a seat in the house. People were just booin’ the hell out of me and screaming, but it was a fun place to play.”
How Much Longer Will Matthew Stafford Play In The NFL?
“It is year-to-year because I think it’s fair to the team, I think it’s fair to me, my family — I don’t want to sit there and say, OK, 24 months from now, I’ve got to be ready to play another football season,” he said. “I’m like, phew, that just seems like a lot. I know that I’m ready to play this year. And hopefully, I feel great at the end of next year, and I’m ready to play another one after that. And then maybe we just kind of keep going like that. But, committing to more than that feels a little bit daunting. And I think a little bit unfair to the team and myself.”
“So, the last thing I want to do is sign some five-year extension, and after one year be like, ‘Oh man, I’m ready to retire. I want to spend time with my family.’ And they’re sitting there with four years on the books and had a bunch of planning done that I was going to be around. I don’t want to play football not all the way in it, too, and just be half-assed leading it,” he said.
Matthew Stafford Revisits Lions Era, Gets Honest About NFL Future