After spending the first 12 years of his career with the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford is excited for his big return and has a message for his former team.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback is set to make a homecoming after his team clinched the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, setting up a playoff game against the No. 3 Lions on January 14. Stafford spoke out this week, saying he is excited to be back in the playoffs and looking forward to playing the team that drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019.

“The opportunity happens to be in Detroit, which is fun for me on a personal level,” Stafford said, via ESPN. “I know it’s going to be rocking there. Haven’t had a playoff game there about 30 years or whatever it is. So it’ll be a great atmosphere. It’ll be a tough task for us, but definitely excited.”

Matthew Stafford: ‘It Will Be Fun’
Stafford maintained a good relationship with the Lions and the team’s fans after the 2021 trade that sent him to Los Angeles in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and a package of draft picks. He released a farewell video that said “thank you, not goodbye” while recalling his career and memorable moments with the team.

Speaking to reporters this week, Stafford said he wants to show his appreciation to the franchise and their fans.

“It will be fun to see some of the people that I haven’t seen in a while, that I know are still around the building,” Stafford said. “And obviously it’ll be a different scenario and won’t be wearing their colors. But still, appreciate so many of the people there that gave me my start in this league and took care of me for 12 years, too.”

Stafford added that, despite all the goodwill that still exists between both sides, there will still be a football game to be played.

“Really, to be honest with you, a football game is a football game once the ball is snapped,” Stafford said, via The Athletic. “There will be a lot of stuff beforehand I’m sure I’ll have to answer questions about, and they will too. But once the ball is snapped, it’s time to go play football.

Jared Goff’s Former Coach Sean McVay Shares Love
The Lions saw limited success during Stafford’s tenure, reaching the playoffs only three times during his 12 seasons there and losing in the first round all three times. He found immediate success in Los Angeles, leading the team to a Super Bowl win in his first season.

Goff has also seen a career resurgence in Detroit as well, turning in two of the best statistical years of his career in 2022 and 2023.

Rams head coach Sean McVay shared some love for Goff ahead of the game, saying he is looking forward to facing him in the playoffs.

“I think if there’s anything, I have more appreciation for him as time goes on,” McVay said, via The Athletic. “He’s nothing but a class act, and man did he do a lot of really good things here for us, and he’s done great stuff for them. There’s a reason why they are in this position. We’re gonna go do the best we can to go try to play a good, clean game and try to come away with a win. They’ve been an excellent offense, and he’s done a great job orchestrating it, he and coach Johnson. Obviously, coach (Dan) Campbell.”

Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions for Heavy.com. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty

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