The careers of Matthew Stafford and Jered Goff will forever be intertwined. But it’s also clear that the two players have nothing but respect for one another.
Stafford — who spent the first 12 years of his NFL career with the Lions — was traded to Los Angeles with Goff heading to Detroit. Stafford, of course, won the Super Bowl in his first season with the Rams. Yet, in Sunday’s return to Detroit, Goff led the Lions to a win in front of an emotional crowd at Ford Field. It was the Lions’ first playoff win in 32 years.
When the game came to an end, Stafford made a point to encourage Goff to go on and win a Super Bowl for Detroit. This was the mic’d-up exchange that NFL Films picked up.
Stafford to Goff after an incredible playoff game…
"Go win it all buddy." ❤️@NFLFilms | @insidetheNFL pic.twitter.com/hFtK3wRE1j
— NFL (@NFL) January 16, 2024
Stafford said:
“Hey, man, congratulations. Go win it all, buddy.”
Goff would actually make a second greeting with Stafford to commend the Rams quarterback on his toughness. It was sportsmanship at its finest, and fans certainly appreciated the respect that played out on that field.
This was how Twitter reacted
doesn’t feel like stafford hates detroit to me 🤷🏼♀️ https://t.co/9MQkmAQPOG
— Alexis Kraft (@TheAlexisKraft) January 16, 2024
— nick shlain (@electricsnuff) January 16, 2024
He came back to tell him that.
GDI, these Lions keep tugging at the strings. https://t.co/HXk3YrZng0
— Lindsay Rhodes (@lindsay_rhodes) January 16, 2024
Love to see it- but man you can hear the hurt in Staffords voice https://t.co/23o8g2kb7O
— Sperleazy$$ (@BSperlss) January 16, 2024
Goff and Stafford. Two keepers. pic.twitter.com/Mwk2V8srzs
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) January 16, 2024
Respect between the 2 QBs who were traded for each other. Love to see it honestly
— Cory (@Cory_Hays407) January 16, 2024
