Does Matthew Stafford deserve to be in the NFL Hall of Fame?
stafford" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams have won Super Bowl LVI by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 last night at SoFi Stadium. It is said that those who win the Lombardi Trophy become immortal.
Stafford has a resume filled with gaudy statistical figures (49,995 yards passing with 323 touchdowns) but no Super Bowl victories until last night. In winning Super Bowl LVI, did Stafford do enough to earn a bust in Canton?
Here's a look at if he's done enough and if not, how much further he has to go.
Why Matthew Stafford's work is not done
Winning the Super Bowl undoubtedly gave the quarterback's resume a massive leg up. For example, up to this point, the quarterback was seen as the little brother to former rival Aaron Rodgers.
However, both quarterbacks now have a Lombardi Trophy.
While he has received a big boost in comparisons to contemporary quarterbacks, getting into the Hall of Fame requires one to separate themselves from the pack of "average-to-good" quarterbacks. The bar to get into the Hall of Fame is much higher than it takes to win a Super Bowl.
To get in, quarterbacks usually need to win two Lombardi trophies and have a history of winning seasons on top of that.
So Matthew Stafford is a Super-Bowl winning QB.
Stafford doesn't have a robust history of winning seasons. As quarterback of the the Detroit Lions for his first 12 seasons in the league, he only had two years in which he finished over .500.
He is also limited to only one Super Bowl win over a team that many may look back on as a team that simply got hot at the right time. In the game last night, receiver Cooper Kupp won the Super Bowl MVP.
The award would have definitely increased his chances of getting into Canton.
As such, it is clear he still has work ahead of him, but how much?
The quarterback can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but he is still a couple of seasons away from having a resume that echoes those in the Hall of Fame. He needs to prove that 2021 wasn't a fluke by adding several more winning seasons.
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As for Super Bowl wins, the quarterback has done the absolute minimum, but he will likely need to dominate until he is 40 years old (he is 34 years) to get into the Hall of Fame without more Super Bowl wins.
Of course, a big prerequisite to winning a second Super Bowl is having key pieces returning in the future. Rams head coach Sean McVay and star defensive lineman Aaron Donald have both mentioned retirement without confirming it.
Without them, the climb becomes that much steeper for the quarterback.
Stafford will deservedly be taking plenty of time to soak in what he's accomplished.
That said, his work isn't done if he wants to become a Hall of Famer. Of course, if the quarterback plays until the age of 40 or more, as many quarterbacks do these days, one can only tally the score in full in 2033 or beyond.
Between then and now, the quarterback has his work cut out for him.