After being selected with the first overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft, Matthew Stafford signed a six-year, $72 million contract the following day. Since then, he’s steadily ensured that both he and his family would be taken care of.
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Stafford’s first contract extension came in the summer of 2013, when he agreed to a three-year, $53 million dollar deal with the Motor City franchise. That would be the last time he would ever sign an extension for less than nine figures.
With 59,809 passing yards, two Pro Bowls, and a Super Bowl championship to his name, Stafford has now officially become the highest career earner in NFL history. Thanks to the Los Angeles Rams recently restructuring his contract, Stafford’s career earnings, including guaranteed money through 2025, now sits at a grand total of $391,313,912, per Spotrac.
That’s $6537.47 for every passing yard. The 16-year veteran has officially surpassed the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, further cementing himself amongst the all-time greats. Brady earned an estimated $332.9 million from his 23-year NFL career, while Aaron Rodgers has earned $381.6 million throughout his career.
He received the only fine of his NFL career in 2015, when he received a uniform violation for wearing a pair of blue cleats during a Monday night contest against the Seattle Seahawks. While the fine only came out to a total of $5,787, Stafford made sure that it would be his last, as nothing should come between a man and his paycheck.
From then on, it’s been nothing but a healthy stream of contract negotiations for the NFC quarterback. His next deal with the Lions would come just two years later, where he would sign a five-year, $135 million contract extension.
Stafford would go on to amass 14,806 passing yards and 95 touchdowns throughout the next four seasons. However, a record of 23-32-1 throughout that time span ultimately resulted in him being traded to the Los Angeles Rams in the January of 2021.
Ironically enough, his passing totals have remained similar since landing in L.A., as he has recorded 14,700 passing yards and 95 touchdowns throughout his four seasons with the Rams. Having produced a 34-23 record with the Rams to date, the recent success of Stafford suggests that Detroit’s problems were never on him.
The franchise made sure to reward him for his efforts, as a $160 million contract extension in 2022, in addition to a pair of contract restructurings in 2024 and 2025, have all culminated to crown him as the NFL’s largest career earner.
Courtesy his earnings, he has been able to purchase three properties in Hidden Hills. His first purchase is estimated to be worth $28 million, while his other two houses, which he purchased from rapper Drake, is worth $11 million according to Marca. These purchases have also helped Matthew and wife Kelly Stafford’s net worth reportedly to be above $150 million.
Stafford cashes in early on his future Hall of Fame career
Considering that Stafford is one of only eight quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for more than 5,000 passing yards in a single season, a feat that not even Aaron Rodgers himself was able to accomplish, the veteran signal-caller certainly has a right to his fair share of cash. He also currently ranks 10th overall in career passing yards.
Averaging 3,271 passing yards throughout the past three seasons, Stafford only needs two more years in his current form to produce the fifth most passing yards in NFL history. Suffice to say, he’s nothing short of legendary.
After years of playoff monotony in Detroit, a 32-year-old Stafford finally enjoyed a championship run in 2021. His 1,188 passing yards in the postseason that year guided the Rams past the likes of Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals en route to the franchise’s second-ever Lombardi trophy.
While Stafford’s personal trophy case certainly leaves a lot to be desired, there’s no denying that he will be remembered as one of the best true passers in the history of gridiron football once it is all said and done. Thankfully, there’s still some gas left in the tank.
Fans should make the most of the twilight years of his career and tune into as many games as possible because once he’s gone, it’s unlikely that they will ever get to experience another quarterback like this.
