It’s always interesting to see how NFL coaches and executives view certain quarterbacks around the league. The Athletic’s Mike Sando does an annual article (that I’d absolutely recommend checking out) where he polls coaches and executives around the NFL to put the quarterbacks in the league in specific tiers, and Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams landed in the second tier.
Altogether, there are 50 executives and coaches that are asked to rank the quarterbacks in the NFL. Stafford received 18 first-tier votes, but he ended up being the highest-ranked quarterback in tier two following his first year with the Rams.
The six quarterbacks that made it into tier one over Stafford were Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow. An anonymous offensive coach that was part of placing the quarterbacks into tiers wasn’t surprised by Stafford’s success a season ago.
“I think it’s fascinating,” an offensive coach said. “The whole thing with Stafford, you just felt like here is a guy with all the talent in the world and you get him into a situation with a good staff, a good team, and there’s some consistency there. I certainly was not surprised with how he performed. Any time the head coach is the play caller and you get some chemistry and are on the same page, that’s a huge, huge advantage.”
There was also an executive or coach that used to work with Stafford, who I assume gave the veteran quarterback a vote for tier one, that believes he has the best arm in the league.
“He still to this day has the best arm I’ve been around or seen,” a voter who was with Stafford in Detroit said. “Whether it’s with a system that suits him and a good partnership with the head coach and all that, a Super Bowl ring gets you an upgrade in my book.”
Despite having to experience multiple losing seasons during his time with the Detroit Lions, it appears that Stafford is finally getting more respect around the NFL due to helping lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.