Matthew Stafford Should Not Be Remembered as Detroit Lion

When veteran quarterback retires, he should not be honored by Detroit Lions.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) calls the snap count at the line of scrimmage against Chicago Bears | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

As the snow piles up all around the Metro Detroit community, naturally it was time to fire up the television to watch pre-game coverage of the AFC and NFC championship games.

Mix in a little sports radio, a football podcast while eating a hearty breakfast and some Google searches, and it dawned on me.

This week will be the five-year anniversary of the Lions' blockbuster trade that sent veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for draft picks and Jared Goff.

As Stafford is preparing for his Rams squad to face the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks, it is time for those rooting for the 37-year-old to let it go.

He is a member of the Rams and not the Lions.

His resume with the Lions is just like the snowflakes falling on your windshield. Eventually, they will evaporate when the weather finally warms up, never to be remembered.

When he eventually retires, he should not have his Lions jersey retired, no entry into the Pride of the Lions and no speeches at Ford Field during primetime games.

This week, Stafford was asked about the evolution of his game to where he’s been able to perform so well in the months of December, January and February since joining the Rams.

Would have been nice in Detroit, right?

"I appreciate that and I understand that. I think quarterback wins is an interesting stat. It takes everybody. There are certain games where I don't play up to par but we win the game or certain games where I feel like I played really well and we don't win the game. It doesn't always correlate with the quarterback," said Stafford. "Obviously, I want to play as good as I possibly can, but I would equate that to our head coach leading the way and our team playing good football at the right time.

"Surely, I'm doing my best part to try and play at a high level or lead the guys in the right way and find a way to win the football game," Stafford added. "There's no question about that, but I didn't win those games by myself and I didn't lose any of them by myself. We play as a team. We win as a team and we lose as a team. That's what I'd say about that.”

Some will say the Lions failed Stafford. Others blame Stafford.

Many believe it was a true combination of both. But the years-long debate regarding who was more at fault does not really matter.

In the end, Stafford had his career success outside of Detroit, and should be simply remembered as a Rams quarterback who failed in Detroit.