For over a decade, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers faced off as their teams, the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, had a long and bitter history as rivals. The two gunslingers would engage in legendary battles, that often Rodgers came out of on top.
While Stafford played valiantly, the Packers front office was better at drafting players, as one Davante Adams, a second-round pick, can attest to. Fast forward to 2021, Stafford would be traded to the Rams, winning Super Bowl LVI. Rodgers would win the MVP but get upset as the number one seed, leading to a chain reaction of events.
Adams would force his way to the Raiders that offseason, Rodgers would depart Green Bay one year later. Rodgers would join the Jets, get hurt, and then in year two, pave the way for Adams to join him in New York.
Their time with the Jets didn't work out, losing the majority of the games after the firing of Robert Saleh, with Matthew Stafford and the Rams picking up a critical win against the duo, leading to their fourth NFC West title in the McVay era.
The subsequent ending to the Jets and then the Rams season would see Adams join Los Angeles as the Rams and Matthew Stafford engaged in bitter contract talks that almost resulted in Rodgers becoming the teams' next QB1.
Everyone knows the rest. Stafford returned to the Rams, now playing with his foe from Green Bay Davante Adams while Rodgers signed with the Steelers.
Steelers legend Ryan Clark recently spoke to Adams at Fanatics Fest, confessing he sees MVP level play from the Rams' gunslinger.
“He told me something that really stood out,” Clark said during an appearance on the Mina Kimes Show. “He said, ‘I got to play with an older Aaron.’ He’s like, ‘Matthew has that type of stuff still in his arm.’ And we’re talking about the Aaron Rodgers that was able to come back and win two MVPs. He’s like, ‘Matthew’s still got it.’ He’s like, ‘That reminds me of that.’”
Mimicking the words he said at OTAs about the type of fun he's been having since joining the team, Adams complemented Stafford's ability to walk the fine line confidence and cockiness.
“And he said he also has this level of competitiveness to him that you still see at practice without a-hole to it. And that really sparked my interest,” Clark added.
Adams has raved about Stafford in their short time together, complementing Stafford's frontier-style play and how he always needs to be ready for the ball, as he never knows when Stafford will throw his way, citing Stafford's ability to dissect defenses.
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