Matthew Stafford spent the first 12 seasons of his NFL career with the Detroit Lions after the team selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, but he certainly did not get a warm reception from Lions fans when he played his first game back in Detroit since leaving in 2021 – and it sounds like he wasn’t necessarily happy about it either.
Ahead of the 2021 NFL season, Matthew Stafford left the Lions by way of a trade with the Los Angeles Rams, where he won a Super Bowl that season. This week, Stafford played his first game in Ford Field following his departure when the Lions hosted the Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, but he got a pretty frigid welcome from Lions fans who booed their former quarterback.
And it sounds like the relationship between Stafford and the city of Detroit has soured all around.
During his postgame press conference, Stafford was asked whether or not he felt happy for the city of Detroit after they won their first playoff game since 1991. But Stafford, careful with his words, did not say he was happy for the fans or the city of Detroit. Instead, he said that he was happy for the Lions players.
Rams HC Sean McVay said he was happy for his ex-QB Jared Goff. I asked Matthew Stafford if he's happy for the city of Detroit, seeing as how he played his first 12 seasons here: "I'm happy for the players." pic.twitter.com/K738IcmkyD
— Kory E. Woods (@KoryEWoods) January 15, 2024
“You’ve been here in Detroit for your first 12 seasons. How do you feel about the city of Detroit?” the reporter asked.
“I’m happy for the players,” Stafford said, avoiding saying anything about the city or the fans. “I’m happy for those guys.”
Stafford may have had a few good seasons with the Lions, but it’s clear that both he and the fans have moved on at this point.
