Will Matthew Stafford be a Hall of Famer?
Photo by Christian Peterson
Before joining the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, Matthew Stafford had a 0-3 playoff record.
He had played 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions up until that point, but he never found much success with them even in the regular season. He’s never won an MVP or an Offensive Player of the Year Award, and he’s only been to the Pro Bowl once in his entire career.
Despite those facts, he holds various passing records and he’s a recent Super Bowl champion with the LA Rams. Will Matthew Stafford be inducted into the hall of fame when he eventually retires?
Photo By Marcio Jose Sanchez
Stafford’s Hall of Fame Case
At this point in his career, Matthew Stafford has thrown for 51,010 yards, which also means that he has thrown for the 12th most passing yards in NFL history. Stafford will more than likely make his way into the Top 10 in the list of NFL career passing yards by the time he retires, assuming he stays healthy.
Depending on how many years he has left in the tank and how productive he remains, it’s not impossible for him to reach the top five in this list, but it’s not a guarantee.
He has also thrown for 327 touchdowns, which is the 12th most passing touchdowns thrown in NFL history. Depending on how the rest of his career goes, it’s not impossible for him to crack the top 10 in all-time passing touchdowns as well.
His career passing yardage, career passing touchdowns, and Super Bowl victory are his strongest arguments for the hall of fame. It can also be argued that Stafford’s situation in Detroit was not ideal and held him back from success for 12 seasons.
Photo by Rey Del Rio
The Case Against Stafford
While Stafford has the yardage, passing touchdowns, and a Super Bowl ring, he simply does not currently have enough accomplishments to be a hall of famer. Most hall of fame quarterbacks had won an MVP award, multiple Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP award, an Offensive Player of the Year Award, had made several Pro Bowl appearances, or had led the league in passing yards for multiple seasons.
I believe that Stafford simply does not have enough of these accomplishments to realistically be considered for the hall of fame if he were to retire today.
Photo by Wally Skalij
What are the Odds?
While I don’t think Stafford’s current resume is enough to warrant a hall of fame induction, I do think that it would be possible for him to strengthen his case if he were to earn more accomplishments. Another Super Bowl ring is not out of the question for Stafford and the Rams, but it certainly will not be a cake walk.
Furthermore, Stafford is not an MVP candidate with the way he is currently playing. He has currently thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this season and has a passer rating of 81.4.
I wouldn’t say it's impossible, but I think that it is highly unlikely that he wins a regular season MVP or an Offensive Player of the Year Award in the remaining years of his career.
Stafford’s most realistic path to the HOF would be through winning more Super Bowls along with at least one Super Bowl MVP award. A few more Pro Bowl selections wouldn’t hurt his case either, but they aren’t as important as a Super Bowl or Super Bowl MVP.
Verdict
Overall, I think that if Stafford wins another Super Bowl along with a Super Bowl MVP, his case will be solidified. He would have the passing statistics and enough winning history and accomplishments to warrant consideration, but it still wouldn’t be a complete guarantee. However, if he were to win two more Super Bowls, then I think it would be extremely difficult to deny him a induction.
The odds of the Rams pulling this off within the remaining years of Stafford’s career are extremely slim, but with all of the talent on the team, it wouldn’t be completely impossible.