Calvin Johnson, former teammate of Matthew Stafford, explains what motivates Rams QB
"(Matthew Stafford) is seeing everything A LOT clearer than he was... Right now it's just ART to him." 💪
HOF'er @calvinjohnsonjr on what motivates former teammate Matthew Stafford 🔊@heykayadams @RamsNFL | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/GIoXIGnf3i — Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 3, 2025
Matthew Stafford enters his 17th NFL season in 2025 and fifth with the Los Angeles Rams.
At the age of 37, he's seen almost everything you can see as a quarterback: From the highs of winning a Super Bowl to the lows of single-digit win seasons with the Detroit Lions for the first 12 years of his career.
So, what motivates a quarterback who's been in the NFL this long? One of Stafford's best former teammates, Hall-of-Fame receiver Calvin Johnson, told FanDuel TV's Kay Adams that Stafford isn't just playing out there on the field. He's performing art.
'Matthew loves to perform. He knows that he still has it in the tank,' Johnson said. "And I feel like he's seeing everything a lot clearer than he was — not that he wasn't seeing back then — he's seeing all the looks almost. He knows what defenses are going to do him. For right now, this is art to him. He's picking them apart.'
This is, ultimately, part of the reason why Stafford returned to the Rams. He knows the system well with a 34-23 record since 2021 and has made the postseason in three of his four seasons in Los Angeles. Stafford's age is a positive for him, too, when dealing with new and emerging defenses around him.
He may not have gotten that on a different team in the twilight of his career. And while his long-term future remains a question mark, the continuity of playing with the Rams and under head coach Sean McVay helps Stafford maintain that level of excellence he's had throughout his NFL career.
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