What NFL Teams Has Matthew Stafford Played For?

Matthew Stafford has played for two NFL teams during his career: the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams. He was drafted by the Lions in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft and spent ten seasons with the team before being traded to the Rams in 2019.

Pre-NFL

High school

Matthew Stafford was born on February 7, 1988, in Tampa, Florida. He attended Highland Park High School in University Park, Texas. As a sophomore, he threw for 2,410 yards and 16 touchdowns with only four interceptions. As a junior, he threw for 3,174 yards and 25 touchdowns. In his senior year, Stafford was named to the Parade magazine All-America team and was also named to the 2005 USA Today All-USA high school football team.

College

Matthew Stafford played college football at the University of Georgia from 2006 to 2008. As a freshman, Stafford was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after he completed 243-of-413 passes for 3,018 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. As a sophomore in 2007, Stafford was again named the SEC Freshman of the Year after completing 266-of-428 passes for 3, bunkley had 725 tackles in 113 games while with the Saints.

NFL

Matthew Stafford has played in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons, primarily with the Detroit Lions. He was drafted by the Lions first overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. During his career, Stafford has earned a Pro Bowl berth, and set multiple franchise records.

Detroit Lions

Matthew Stafford has played his entire NFL career so far with the Detroit Lions. He was drafted by the Lions first overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, and has since led the team to some of its most successful seasons in recent memory. Stafford is currently the Lions’ all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, and is widely considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Los Angeles Rams

Matthew Stafford was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia, and was considered one of the best quarterback prospects for the draft. He became the Lions’ starting quarterback in his rookie season and set several franchise records. In 2017, he joined Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to have thrown for over 5,000 yards in a single season three times.

On January 31, 2021, Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for multiple draft picks, including a first-round pick in 2021.

Post-NFL

Stafford was the first pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, by the Detroit Lions. He played college football at the University of Georgia, and was considered the best quarterback prospect of the draft. In his first season, Stafford set an NFL record for most passing attempts by a rookie in a season.

Retirement

When Matthew Stafford announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, it brought an end to one of the most prolific passing careers in league history.

Stafford, who turns 33 next month, played 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, where he holds virtually every major franchise passing record. He finishes his career with 41,025 yards and 244 touchdown passes, ranking him among the top 15 quarterbacks in both categories all-time.

Stafford also leaves the game as one of its toughest players, having started all 16 games in eight of his 12 seasons, including each of the past six. He holds the NFL record for most consecutive starts by a quarterback with 136, a streak that spanned nearly nine years from 2011 to 2019.

Broadcasting

Stafford began his broadcasting career in 2020 with NFL on Fox as a game analyst, joining the Thursday Night Football broadcast team alongside Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.