Throughout his 15 years as an NFL quarterback, Matthew Stafford has had the luxury of playing with some great wide receivers.
He formed some superb QB-pass catcher duos in Detroit with Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, and has done the same in Los Angeles with Cooper Kupp and most recently Puka Nacua.
But, of those four receivers, none of them has arguably developed a stronger relationship with the Super Bowl-winning passer than Johnson.
Stafford and Johnson, affectionately known as “Megatron,” were teammates in Motown from 2009-2015, and put up some monstrous numbers together.
During that span of time, the aforementioned quarterback-receiver tandem connected on 605 passes, and accumulated a staggering 9,532 yards and 67 touchdowns. Their most prolific season together came in 2012, when Johnson amassed an NFL single-season record 1,964 receiving yards.
Stafford threw for 5,000 yards (5,038), and earned AP Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2011 with Johnson's help. The veteran passer was also selected to the Pro Bowl (2014) during the duo's time together with the Lions.
Meanwhile, Johnson racked up six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving campaigns (2010-2015), and earned accolade after accolade, including three straight first-team All-Pro selections (2011-2013). The Pro Football Hall of Famer also made six straight trips to the Pro Bowl during his time catching passes from Stafford.
While nearly 10 years have passed since the two were last teammates, Johnson believes that Stafford, who is now 36 years old, still has some “gas left in the tank.”
“I know he (Stafford) can still play. How much does he have? I mean, he's looking better than he did when he played with us. Man, he was a little chubby when he was playing with us. Man, look at him, he's all slim,” a chuckling Johnson told Kay Adams on “Up & Adams” Monday. “But no, he's definitely taking care of himself, so as long as he's doing that, I mean for quarterbacks, as long as you're getting taken care of and not hitting the ground too much, you can really play as long as you want, as long as you're taking care of your body, too. So, if his line is taking care of him, we’ll see. If they’re not taking care of him, shoot, it’s not going to get him to want to prolong his career there if he’s not being taken care of by his offensive line.”
Johnson retired at the conclusion of the 2015 season, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Meanwhile, Stafford suited up for five more seasons with the Lions after Johnson left town. He was traded to the Rams in early 2021 in exchange for fellow quarterback Jared Goff and a series of draft picks.
Since joining the Rams, he’s continued his productive ways, winning a Super Bowl and throwing for 10,938 yards and 75 touchdowns.
His most prolific season with Los Angeles came in 2021. During the aforementioned campaign, he threw for 41 touchdowns and 4,886 yards, with 1,947 of those yards going to Kupp. Kupp’s 1,947 receiving yards was the second-most in a single season in NFL history, trailing only Johnson’s 1,964.
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