When a star player spends most of his career in one city and then leaves, we often see that old fanbase root against that player at his new team. That didn’t happen with Detroit and Matthew Stafford.
The Lions drafted Stafford with the first pick in the 2009 draft, and he spent 12 seasons trying to succeed in Detroit. But after missing the playoffs in his final four seasons with the Lions and never winning a postseason game, Stafford was traded to Los Angeles for Jared Goff.
Lions fans never stopped rooting for Stafford, and the Super Bowl-winning Rams quarterback absolutely took notice.
Nothing but love for Detroit from Matt 💙 pic.twitter.com/qgKMxbP4mX
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) February 14, 2022
Speaking to NFL Network after the Rams’ 23-20 win over the Bengals in Super Bowl 56, Stafford explained how appreciative (and surprised) he was about Detroit’s continued support. He said:
“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.”
The Rams won’t be playing the Lions next season, but if Stafford ever gets a chance to play a return game at Ford Field, he’ll almost certainly get a warm reception. He deserves it.
