The 2025 season is truly turning out to be one of a kind for Matthew Stafford. Before entering the year, the Rams QB did not have a .500 record, but now he does. He had never won the MVP award, and now he is the outright favorite for it. And lastly, in his nearly two-decade-long career, Stafford had never been named to the First-Team Associated Press All-Pro. That, too, changed this year.
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At 37-years-old, being recognized as the NFL’s best quarterback for the first time must have been an achievement Stafford had been clamoring for. But it turns out he did not even know he had made the list as soon as the selection was announced.
During a pregame interview ahead of the Rams’ Wild Card matchup against the Carolina Panthers, Stafford was asked whether he ever allows himself to reflect on personal milestones. His answer was a generic one, grounded and team-first.
“I think I’m just so in the middle of it right now. There’s so much to do and so much to accomplish as a team. I really want to keep my focus on that,” he said.
The conversation then took an unexpected turn. The interviewer revealed that the Associated Press All-Pro teams were set to be announced and that Matthew Stafford was the First-Team quarterback. Upon hearing it, the Rams star seemed genuinely caught off guard.
“Oh hell, that’s amazing. I appreciate that. I did not know that was coming,” he said.
For a quarterback who has spent much of his career respected but often overlooked, the moment carried weight. So naturally, Stafford acknowledged the significance without drifting from his core perspective.
“I’ve played a lot of years, a lot of respect for this game, a lot of respect for the other guys that do what I do. It’s not an easy thing to do, so it means a lot. I really appreciate that,” he said.
Matthew Stafford is so focused on helping the @RamsNFL advance in the playoffs that he wasn’t expecting to hear he made the @AP All-Pro team. pic.twitter.com/hYzDyZskDu
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) January 10, 2026
What made Stafford’s words even more impressive was how he lived up to them later in that interview. Just hours after being named the league’s top quarterback, Stafford did exactly what he said he would: stay locked in and focus on his next game. Against Carolina, he led the Rams to a dramatic 34-31 comeback win, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns while engineering two fourth-quarter touchdown drives.
That performance mirrored how great he has been this season. So in many ways, the All-Pro honor feels more like icing on the cake for his illustrious career, which may be seeing the best version of his abilities at 37 years old.
And if Stafford does end up adding an MVP trophy to go with his First-Team All-Pro nod, as the odds suggest, it will finally be the moment where the former Lion finally gets his official dues.
But until then, Stafford will most likely tell you the same thing he said before the All-Pro news broke: the focus remains on next week, not the milestone.
