Just like supporters of the Detroit Lions have been living vicariously through Matthew Stafford, so have his former teammates.
By all accounts, those who played with Stafford are not even terribly surprised he experienced success this quickly after leaving Detroit.
For over a decade, teammates have watched a player grow and emerge as someone who could rally his team late in games.
Long snapper Don Muhlbach, who retired in 2021 and now serves as a Special Assistant in Detroit, recalled that he often found comfort when Stafford was leading the offense late in games.
"When we had Stafford, we were never out of anything. He proved that plenty of times," Muhlbach told ESPN's NFL writer Michael Rothstein. "Everyone's always like don't ever leave (Packers quarterback Aaron) Rodgers or Brady too much time -- as soon as they scored, I was like, there's enough time left. This is not going to shock people when this happens."
Many former teammates have texted and shared via their social media platforms their support of a teammate they feel deserves the opportunity to be in the spotlight and an opportunity to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
For Lions' fans and Muhlbach, this week also serves as a reminder the organization was never able to get over the hump.
"I do wish we'd had done it here," Muhlbach said. "It would have been better if we all could have done it together, but I think a lot of his old teammates are thinking the same thing I do. We're all so happy for him."
More must-reads: