Matthew Stafford only knows the NFL through the lens of the Detroit Lions, the franchise he spent the first 12 years of his career with after being the top overall pick in 2009. However, all that’s changed this offseason following the blockbuster trade from back in late January that now has the 33-year-old QB as the newest starter for the Los Angeles Rams. The 2021 campaign promises to be something completely new for Stafford as the Rams currently own the fourth-best odds to win Super Bowl LVI and the third-best odds to win the NFC, per William Hill Sports Book.
That’s quite the leap for a quarterback who has only reached the playoffs three times in his career and has never even been out of Wild-Card Weekend. Needless to say, the prospects of a deep run have Stafford excited for what’s ahead.
“Yeah, I definitely feel that way. It’s a new experience for my entire family,” Stafford told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday. “We were so set with our lifestyle in how we kind of went about day-to-day life in Detroit. That has definitely changed. If you don’t have energy to move your wife and four kids and a dog and everybody out to California, you’re in a lot of trouble. So it’s definitely reenergized me. I’m excited about the opportunity, not only from a family standpoint but really from a football standpoint. I’m excited about being a part of this Rams organization that’s had so much recent success, and I can’t wait to get the football season going and get all that going, and at the same time, loved our time in Detroit. We’ll miss that city dearly. It was special to both me and my family, especially my wife when she was going through some things. Loved my time in Detroit, but we are excited about the move to Los Angeles.”
Part of that “football standpoint” that should have Stafford giddy about landing in L.A. is the prospects of playing under Sean McVay, who has a history of elevating quarterbacks to their highest potential. Of course, getting into the nuts and bolts of the Rams offense has been a bit delayed for Stafford as he cannot spend much time with McVay at the moment due to offseason rules. Still, he appears to be chomping at the bit to get to work.
“He’s a young guy. He’s a passionate guy,” Stafford said of McVay. “He knows a ton of football and really enjoys talking the game. Obviously, we’re a little bit limited in our ability to get together at the moment, but it’s something that I am really looking forward to. If you look back at his history, the guys that are in my position at the quarterback position, under his coaching, have played at a high level, and I can’t wait to get my opportunity both with him as the head coach and really with the players on this offense. It’s something that’s really intriguing to me and something that I’m just happy to be able to a part of.”
If McVay can work his magic on Stafford, who still oozes with talent, Los Angeles’ offense has the potential of being prolific, which should have them in the thick of Super Bowl conversations leading into 2021.
