Matthew Stafford has spent most of his career playing like a quarterback everyone should fear, even when the league didn’t always rank him that way. Now, at an age when plenty of passers are already slipping, the Rams veteran is getting the kind of respect that matches the tape.
That was the big takeaway from Mike Sando’s QB Tiers on The Athletic, where Stafford jumped into Tier 1 after finally breaking through there last season. This year, the recognition got even louder: 48 of the 50 voters placed him in Tier 1, and his average voter ranking climbed to 1.04 from 1.5 last offseason.
“He’s scary,” a defensive coordinator said. “When I first got in the league, there were more guys you had to worry about.
You knew if you played Peyton (Manning), you played (Brett) Favre, (Tom) Brady, (Drew) Brees, it was, ‘Oh my God!’ Stafford has still got that, and he’s operating in a difficult-to-defend offense.”
The numbers back up the praise. Stafford finished first in quarterback DVOA through FTN Fantasy and led all quarterbacks in overall PFF grade. He also ranked first in big-time throw rate, which fits the eye test for a player still making elite-level throws from all kinds of platforms and angles.
One coach put it even more bluntly.
“He runs the show, and there are only a few quarterbacks left who can do that,” another defensive coach said. “He can rip it from any arm angle.
His look-off throws are a freak show. If you cut up all his throws where he looks somewhere and rips it to the other side, it’s nuts.”
That kind of command showed up again and again last season. Against the Seahawks, who had the NFL’s best defense, Stafford averaged 320 passing yards in three games and threw eight touchdowns without an interception. In the playoffs, both Rams wins came on game-winning drives from Stafford, pushing his career total to five, the fourth-most all time.
It’s another reminder that the last five years have done plenty for Stafford’s legacy. He had the production in Detroit, but the team success and accolades didn’t come with it. Since arriving in Los Angeles, he helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2021 and then won MVP last year at 37.
That MVP race had some noise around Drake Maye, but Stafford’s tougher schedule and league-leading 46 touchdowns separated him. Maye finished eighth in the quarterback tiers, tied with Jared Goff.
Stafford’s place in the rankings also put him right near the top of the entire quarterback conversation. He was tied for the second-best quarterback in Sando’s tiers with Josh Allen.
Only Patrick Mahomes was ranked higher, and Sando noted that Mahomes appears to be getting some benefit from reputation. Stafford’s standing was also stronger than ESPN’s earlier offseason quarterback ranking, where he came in third.
The NFC West didn’t have another quarterback crack the top 10. Brock Purdy was the highest-ranked division passer at No. 11, with Sam Darnold next at No. 14.
For the Rams, that all circles back to the same reality. If they’re going to make another Super Bowl run in 2026, Stafford still has to be the engine.
The roster around him is strong, and the defense should get help from Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, but the close games are still going to land in Stafford’s hands. Sando also noted that voters pointed to his age and durability as concerns.
When the Rams traded for Stafford before the 2021 season, they were betting he could steer a roster led by Aaron Donald to a title. Five years later, he’s still doing far more than just holding things together. As Stafford put it: "I thought maybe I had three good ones left."
In Other News...
Rams Camp Injuries Are Raising A Bigger Early Concern
The early days of Rams camp have been less about pushing through and more about backing off when needed, with the coaching staff taking a measured approach to keep players fresh for September. Tight end Davis Allen has been working back from a soft-tissue injury, linebacker Ernest Jones has been sidelined with soreness, offensive lineman Justin Dedich remains on the NFI list because of a hand injury, and edge rusher Byron Young is also being monitored as he manages a knee issue.
For a team trying to build momentum without overtaxing anyone, the emphasis on health is understandable, but it does leave a few important spots in a holding pattern. Allens absence in particular has thinned out a position group that benefits from every rep in camp, and the Rams are clearly trying to balance development with caution as they sort through a cluster of minor setbacks before the real work begins. [Read more 🡒]
Former Rams Cornerback Suddenly Walks Away From The NFL
A familiar name from the Rams recent past is out of the league for good, at least for now. The Washington Commanders announced that cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is retiring from the NFL and has been placed on the reserve/retired list, ending a nine-year run that included stops with the 49ers, Steelers and Rams before he landed in Washington on a one-year deal.
For the Rams, it adds another reminder of how quickly the defensive backfield can turn over from one season to the next. Washington moved to fill the vacancy by signing veteran cornerback Fabian Moreau to its offseason roster, a straightforward roster fix that keeps Witherspoons departure from leaving a larger hole behind. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Donald Return Talk Just Changed The Stakes For Rams Camp
Aaron Donalds future has hovered over Rams camp for months, and Les Sneads latest update gave the situation a little more shape without clearing anything up. Donald retired after the 2023 season, but the Rams still sound willing to leave the door open, especially with a player whose standard is so high that any comeback would have to feel worth it on the field, not just sentimental on the sideline.
Snead said Donald is pushing his training harder as he gauges whether he can still perform at the level that made him one of the franchises defining players. The timing matters, too, because the Rams have already reshaped the roster this offseason with major additions, including Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. If Donald is seriously weighing a return, it would add another layer to a camp that already feels very different from the one the Rams expected when the offseason began. [Read more 🡒]