“He Was Like Crying”: Julian Edelman Recalls an Emotional Matthew Stafford ‘Crunching His Shoulder’ with the Detroit Lions

These days, Matthew Stafford is known as a Los Angeles Ram. It makes sense: Stafford is about to embark on year five in Hollywood and won a Super Bowl there. But before he captured a Lombardi Trophy, he was the Detroit Lions’ signal-caller for 12 seasons.

The Lions selected Stafford with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. The Georgia product took Detroit to the playoffs three times, but never won a postseason game for the city. Regardless, he was loved by the Lions’ fans for incredible toughness and grit, the same characteristics that head coach Dan Campbell has instilled as the team’s identity.

The moment that embodies exactly what Stafford was – and is – about came during his rookie campaign. The Lions (1-8) were battling the Cleveland Browns (1-8) in Week 11. Cleveland led 37-31 over Detroit, who had the ball, with just 8 seconds remaining in regulation.

Stafford took the snap from the Browns’ 32-yard line. On his seemingly game-ending Hail Mary, he absorbed a brutal hit as he chucked the pass downfield. He laid down on the turf with a separated shoulder as his throw fell incomplete. But a pass interference penalty against the Browns gave Detroit an untimed down from the 1-yard line to win the game. And Stafford, through his ailment, delivered the game-tying score.

Julian Edelman and Puka Nacua discussed Stafford’s toughness on the Games with Names podcast. Edelman mentioned the above game during their chat, telling Nacua he couldn’t believe Stafford gutted out the victory.

“He [messed] up his [left] shoulder… he was like crying. I’ve gotten crunched [like that]… [I remember] the pain… and [he] sacked up and threw that [touchdown] with a broken shoulder. [I’ve been] a Matthew Stafford guy ever since then,” Julian Edelman recalled.

Nacua nodded in agreement before reflecting on how Stafford influenced him as a teammate.

Puka Nacua revisits Matthew Stafford’s locker room impact

NFL personnel, like Edelman, knew Stafford would be a force for years to come after the miraculous play. And Edelman wasn’t overblowing Stafford’s reaction to the hit. As NFL Films showed, the hit he took put him in agony.

Stafford has played through various ailments over the years. He’s always doing everything he can to be on the field. Edelman asked Nacua if this attitude affects the rest of the roster’s mindset when it comes to playing through injuries. Nacua confirmed his suspicions.

“It [has] definitely bled into… how guys operate… you know how the locker room is… the whole football team operates through [the quarterback]. And [Matthew Stafford] will never take himself out of the game. So, it’s like, unless your ankle is facing the opposite way or [you] have ligaments that are completely torn… you got to get back out there,” Nacua recalled.

There’s a reason why Stafford, at age-37, garnered significant interest in the trade market this offseason. A player of his caliber with his mentality can drastically shift a franchise’s culture for the better. Subsequently, losing a player like that can impact an organization’s culture for the worse.

The Rams looked like they may go through the latter experience over the first month of the offseason. Instead, they agreed to a restructured contract with Stafford on March 1. The exact terms of their agreement were never disclosed, but we know Stafford is set to lead Los Angeles again in 2025. And if he, Nacua and Davante Adams remain healthy, the Rams will be in contention for a Super Bowl LX crown.