Matthew Stafford Sends Emotional Message to Lions Fans After Leading Rams to Super Bowl Win

Matthew Stafford led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl win on Sunday night. And as much as he loves the Rams and their fans, the Super Bowl champion quarterback knows that he established himself as a good player when he was with the Detroit Lions. When speaking to the NFL Network after Super Bowl LVI, Stafford was asked about his thoughts about Lions fans supporting him despite not playing for the team anymore. 

“It was amazing. Like you said, there’s no reason for them to cheer for me anymore. And the fact that they did was just a true testament to who they are as people and who they are as fans,” Stafford said, per For the Win. “They live and die with those guys, their players. To have that support all away across the country here playing in this game means to world to me and my wife, my family. They helped us through a bunch of tough times and are a huge reason I’m sitting here today.”

Stafford joined the Rams last year after being traded to the team from the Lions.  He was drafted No. 1 overall by the Lions in 2009 and was with the team for 11 seasons. And during his time in Detroit, Stafford led the Lions to the playoffs three times but never won a playoff game, In his first season with the Rams, Stafford led the team to an NFC West title and defeated the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs before taking down the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl. 

“It’s probably gonna take some time,” Stafford told NFL.com when asked how he feels after completing a first-year run to a Super Bowl championship. “I’m gonna have to think about it. I know in the moment I didn’t know what to think. I was just a little emotional and so happy to be a world champ. 

“And so happy to be a part of this group. That’s the biggest thing. It’s not me, it’s not any individual on this team. We’re a group, we’re a team. And to get it done together was so special.”  The next move for Stafford is getting a new contract. He is entering the final year of his deal and is set to make $23 million due to a combination of base salary and bonuses.