Now the highest career earner in NFL history, Stafford is far removed from the title-starved Lions. Considering that he owns a Super Bowl ring and the Lions were able to return to the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991, his departure seemed to be for the betterment of both parties. But why did things not work out in Detroit?

Throughout his tenure there, Stafford was blamed for much of the team’s deficits. Even now, fans wonder if he deserves to be the highest-paid quarterback in the league. However, the case can also be made that the constant regime changes and the inability to find a running back who could aid the offense limited Stafford and the team’s success.

Believing that Detroit wasted Stafford’s prime, former NFL scout John Middlekauff suggested that Stafford absolutely deserves to be the highest-paid man in the history of the league.

“In the prime of his career, he was on a dog sh*t team and it was difficult to evaluate him as a great player. We knew he was a great talent. But the Lions were not the Dan Campbell Lions, they were a joke. And now, we get to see him in his latter years on a good team with a good organization and the team’s really good and he’s really good,” he said on 3 and Out.

In asserting that “Stafford has one of the greatest arms of all time,” the scout-turned-podcast host believes that age is the only issue, as the 16-year veteran just turned 37 years old a few months ago. Seeing as Stafford had a quarterback record of 74-90-1 throughout his 12 years in Detroit, Middlekauff’s assessment of the Lions is certainly more than fair.

In 2022, Jim Costa, the 97.1 FM Radio host, took to X and called out the Lions for mistreating Stafford. According to Costa, Stafford was unfairly blamed for his team’s shortcomings, and many believed that the franchise needed a stronger, younger, and more efficient quarterback.

When asked by a viewer to compare Stafford to one of the league’s younger sensations in Joe Burrow, Middlekauff once again highlighted the age of the veteran signal caller.

“There’s like a ten-year age gap. Stafford is on hole 17 or 18 of his career. I mean hell, he’s literally going year to year right now. I think if Stafford was at the same age, and both of them are 27 or 28 years old, in the prime of their career, playing for the Rams and the Bengals, I think we would talk about Stafford differently.”

Despite enjoying the greener pastures of L.A. football, Stafford has still been known to show his appreciation for his time spent in Detroit. After discovering that a fan had recently sold their autographed jersey to help finance a trip to see the Lions compete in the playoffs, he did his best to make things right.

After sharing his story on social media, Bryson Machonga, a 34-year-old Lions fan from Appleton, Wisconsin, received the gift of a lifetime: a game-worn, autographed jersey from Stafford himself. The heartwarming gesture showed that, despite being booed every time he visits Ford Field, Stafford still has love for the city that hosted him all those years ago.

Currently enjoying his latest riches, Stafford will continue to prepare for the upcoming 2025 season with the Los Angeles Rams, as he’ll hope to avenge his divisional-round playoff loss to the world champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.

This will be the 17th season of Stafford’s career, and potentially the last, meaning that fans should make the most of his appearances while they are still here.