Rams’ Matthew Stafford gets definitive Hall of Fame backing from teammate

If it were up to safety Quentin Lake, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford would make the NFL Hall of Fame whenever he retires.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Lake said Stafford was Hall of Fame-worthy “100 percent.” The third-year safety had no doubts about his opinion.

“[He’s] easily a Hall of Famer,” Lake continued. “There’s a nickname that goes around that makes a lot of sense — it’s ‘Mr. Long Handoffs,’ because his deep throws down the field are just like handoffs. It’s regular, it’s routine.”

Lake also calls him “Mr. No-Look” due to his ability to “manipulate” defenders. Stafford utilizes his eyes like no other. While other quarterbacks throw no-look passes, it’s routine for defenders like Lake, who have to go against it in practice every day.

“I have no doubt in my mind he’ll be wearing a gold jacket whenever he retires,” Lake said. “You look at it, [he] 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.”

Will the Rams’ Matthew Stafford be in the Hall of Fame?

Stafford may be entering the twilight of his career as he goes into his 17th season in the NFL. He is coming off a year in which the Rams finished 10-7, first in the NFC West.

They made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs after beating the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round. The Rams lost by six to the Philadelphia Eagles, who would eventually go on to win the Super Bowl.

In the game, Stafford did everything he could to give the Rams a shot at winning. He threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. He was sacked five times, however.

His fourth season with the Rams was a bit of a down year. Stafford passed for 3,762 yards and 20 touchdowns in 16 games. The year before, he also threw for under 4,000 yards in 15 games. He only passed for 24 touchdowns as well. In 2022, Stafford missed eight games and only threw 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions.

He is now three years removed from his best season with the Rams. He threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns during the 2021 season when they won the Super Bowl.

Stafford began his career with the Detroit Lions after being selected first overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent the first 12 years of his career in Detroit before being traded to the Rams.