Matthew Stafford never has had to worry about football on his birthday before this year, but celebrating his 34th on Monday, the former Detroit Lions and current Los Angeles Rams quarterback is preparing to play in his first Super Bowl.
In an ideal world, Stafford would have been taking part in the day's festivities as a member of the Lions. But after falling short of that goal for more than a decade, the franchise acquiesced to a trade request last offseason, ultimately shipping him to the Rams for Jared Goff and a trio of draft picks.
So while Lions fans continue to wait their turn for their team to play for the NFL's biggest prize, they're left to live vicariously through the quarterback they cheered for since he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in 2009.
