LA Rams venerable starting quarterback Matthew Stafford stands 6-foot-3, weighs 220 pounds, and has completed nearly 5000 passes in his NFL career. That has translated into 56,047 yards, or nearly 32 miles. That has also resulted in 357 touchdowns, and 180 interceptions. He is 36 years old, and has just completed the second season of his 15-year NFL career with Pro Bowl Honors. Like a fine wine, it seems that he is becoming more valuable with age.
The setting of professional football may be a young man’s game, but the masters who have fought their battles in the trenches have always had something to say about that. Veteran quarterback Tom Brady retired, again, and this time it’s final. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is competing for the New York Jets now, an AFC team that seems to be focused on non-football related issues.
The NFC has many worthy veteran quarterbacks. But if you had to sit down and name the best, could you name any quarterback better in the NFC than Matthew Stafford right now? This NFL expert could not:
“Who is the best QB in the NFC? Matthew Stafford’s name came up…”@GregCosell on latest @RossTuckerPod: pic.twitter.com/ikejj2rnKp
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) June 13, 2024
Greg Cosell, nephew of legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell, is a senior producer at NFL Films for more than four decades. He is also the the creative force behind ESPN’s NFL Matchup and has been a longtime analyst on the show. And he believes that LA Rams starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is the best of the bunch.
He’s probably correct.
👍 Matthew 👍 Stafford 👍 pic.twitter.com/gqBmGHiCBO
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) June 13, 2024
Despite speculative rumors that the Rams could be prepared to part ways with Matthew Stafford after this season, it’s simply overly imaginative minds forced to idle in place until real football news starts up with training camps again. After all, if the Rams wanted to part ways, they have the perfect opportunity to draft aviable future backup for the team in the 2024 NFL Draft. Instead, the team was content to bolster their QB room for this season.
As a show of good faith, Stafford has elected to show up for all team sessions this year, which has resulted in very positive signs that the team and the player will resolve financial conditions relatively smoothly. And all reports so far are very positive.
The team has been so concerned with the health and protection of their starting quarterback that the front office has altered course and invested heavily into the offensive line whose job will be to protect him. And the front office even added talented depth to the running back room to help lighten the load.
The team clearly understands that success depends on keeping the quarterback healthy. Even as an NFL expert cites Rams QB Matthew Stafford as the Best QB in the NFC, I’ll wager that you needn’t be an expert to see how valuable Stafford is for this team in 2024. Joe Flacco won NFL Comeback Player of the Year last year, an honor that was more befitting for Rams starting QB Matthew Stafford.
All I have to say is watch out NFL. Matthew Stafford may put up career numbers in 2024.
