Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud likely has his favorite passers in league history. Joe Burrow is certainly one after his breakout second season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Who is the most underrated passer? Stroud might not be ready to call Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford an under-the-radar name, but he thinks Stafford should have more than one Super Bowl title.
Too bad Aaron Rodgers ran the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers while Stafford was filling up the stat sheet during his tenure with the Detroit Lions.
“He might be up there with Brady and them,” Stroud said during an interview on the ‘Millon Dollaz Worth of Game’ podcast last week. “No, that’s crazy. That’s crazy. Let me go back. I’m a student of the game. Stafford’s a dog. He’s a dog. You don’t understand. You’re saying that. That’s all I watch. I don’t watch nobody else.
“Stafford, dog. He will beat you with the same thing every time. All that no-look stuff, I got that from (him). That’s one of my biggest – like, I’m a fan of his.”
Drafted No. 1 out of Georgia in 2009, Stafford went on to set records in Detroit while struggling to compete with Green Bay, Minnesota and Chicago. He led the Lions to three playoff appearances but zero victories.
Rodgers, who spent 16 seasons as the Packers’ starter, went on to win four MVPs and 10 Pro Bowl appearances. Stroud didn’t criticize Rodgers’ career but did mention if Stafford was given a better supporting cast, perhaps history would be different.
“If you give Matthew Stafford a chance like Aaron Rodgers had, I guarantee you he might have had more rings,” Stroud said. “I’d say he would have like three or four [rings].”
CJ Stroud was raving about Matthew Stafford & says “I’m a fan of his” on @mworthofgame pic.twitter.com/BgEwfhrSeO
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) June 3, 2024
Stroud, who last season led Houston to its first playoff bid in four years, admitted to being and Stafford fan. He’s watched his film for years and taken note of ways to play quarterback.
Stafford ended up winning his first Super Bowl trophy over Burrow after the Rams traded him in 2021. Since then, the Lions have transformed into a perennial contender in the NFC under Jared Goff. The franchise has been adamant of learning from its mistakes, building around Goff with players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sam LaPorta and a sturdy offensive line.
Perhaps Stroud one day will take on Stafford in a Super Bowl to personally thank him. He intends to connect with the longtime signal-caller next time he heads home to California.
“If I go to L.A., I’ll be trying to find bro. Like, we got the same trainers, I’ll be trying to go where they’re working out and just watch,” Stoud said. “He’s elite.”