Rams DB says Matthew Stafford is 'easily a Hall of Famer'

USA Today

12-05-2025

Rams DB says Matthew Stafford is 'easily a Hall of Famer'
Matthew Stafford has always put up big numbers during his NFL career, but he and the Detroit Lions struggled to find much success as a team during his decade-plus in the Motor City. Since being traded to the Los Angeles Rams, however, Stafford has won a Super Bowl and five total playoff games, reaching the postseason three times in four years – the same number of playoff appearances he had in 12 years with the Lions.
With one Super Bowl ring already on his finger and the possibility of winning one more, Stafford is building a case as a future Hall of Famer. The stats rival many of the quarterbacks already in Canton, but he only has two Pro Bowl selections and no All-Pro nods.
Rams defensive back Quentin Lake still believes Stafford has done enough in his career to eventually earn a spot in Canton as a Pro Football Hall of Famer – and he doesn't think there's much doubt about it.
"Oh, 100%. Easily, easily a Hall of Famer,' Lake said in an interview with TMZ Sports. '… I have no doubt in my mind that he'll be wearing a gold jacket whenever he retires. Got a Super Bowl, has had a fantastic career, great father, great teammate. In my mind, no doubt about it, he'll be a Hall of Famer.'
Part of the reason Lake thinks Stafford will make the Hall of Fame one day is the way he makes everything look so easy on the field, from deep balls to no-look passes. Many even credit him with making no-look throws popular among quarterbacks, pulling them off at a remarkably high rate.
'There's a nickname that goes around that I've heard that makes a lot of sense. It's 'Mr. Long Handoffs' because his throws deep down the field are like handoffs,' Lake said. 'It's regular, it's routine and honestly, the thing I call him is 'Mr. No-look', as well. Not only does he have the arm talent, but he can manipulate – especially me being on the defensive side – the way he manipulates the defense with his eyes. The stuff you see – so, like, Aaron Rodgers talked about it. Like, 'Oh, yeah. I got the no-look from Matthew Stafford.' He does it consistently in practice all the time. For us, it's like, 'Oh, that's just regular. We see that all the time.' It's a skill. It's a legitimate skill that he practices, which is so cool. And it keeps us honest.'
It remains to be seen how much longer Stafford will play in the NFL, whether it's one, two, three or maybe even four more years. The Rams don't know and he likely doesn't have an answer, either.
But if he can make the playoffs a few more times and even reach a Super Bowl, he'll have a case for Canton.