Matthew Stafford Hall of Fame case, explained: How MVP changes arguments for and against Rams QB's Canton future

Matthew Stafford is one of the elder statesmen among NFL quarterbacks, but his 17th season might have been his best.

Stafford posted career highs in touchdown passes and passer rating in 2025, leading a prolific Rams offense and putting himself in position for a potential first MVP award. While he didn’t reach his ultimate goal of a second championship, Stafford’s tremendous season could go a long way toward another milestone: the Hall of Fame.

Already considered a contender for Canton entering 2025, Stafford strengthened his case for a gold jacket with a season that stood above most of the league’s quarterbacks. There is a serious chance his campaign moved the needle in that debate.

Here’s what you need to know about Stafford’s Hall of Fame chances after an MVP-caliber 2025 season.

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Will Matthew Stafford be a Hall of Famer?

Nothing will matter more to Matthew Stafford’s Hall of Fame case than his run to the Super Bowl 56 title, which came after 12 seasons without a single playoff victory. Outside of that magical 2021 season with the Rams, however, 2025 could go down as the next-biggest feather in Stafford’s Hall of Fame credentials.

It’s hard to make the case that this season was anything other than the best of Stafford’s career from a statistical standpoint. He posted the highest passer rating of his career at 109.2, easily led the NFL with 46 touchdown passes and threw for an NFL-best 4,707 yards, marking his 10th season of at least 4,000 yards.

While it didn’t end in a second championship, it did add two playoff wins and potentially an MVP award to Stafford’s resume. An MVP, if it’s in the cards for Stafford, should settle his Hall of Fame debate.

Through 2020, Stafford was a franchise-caliber quarterback who arguably had the career totals but not the high-level wins required for Hall of Fame consideration. His first five seasons with the Rams have likely solidified his case.

Not only does Stafford have a Super Bowl win and potentially soon an MVP under his belt, but he has flipped has career record to a winning one and ranks sixth and seventh all-time, respectively, in passing yards and passing touchdowns, right up there with Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers.

Evidence supports the idea that it's extremely rare for a quarterback to win a Super Bowl and an MVP award and not earn a gold jacket. Here's a look at how an MVP could seal Stafford's Hall of Fame case.

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MVP QBs not in Hall of Fame

If Stafford wins his first MVP award, history shows it won't necessarily guarantee him a gold jacket — but it will shore up his case. 

There are 24 quarterbacks who have won an MVP and become eligible for the Hall of Fame. Of that group, 14 are Hall of Famers while 10 are not. 

Here are the 10 MVP quarterbacks to fall short of Hall of Fame induction so far:

Of that group, only one also won a Super Bowl as a starter: Joe Theismann, whose career ended two years later at age 36 because of a devastating leg injury. Theismann finished his career with 124 starts, 25,206 yards, 160 touchdowns and 138 interceptions, a Super Bowl win and an MVP.

Albeit in a much different era, Stafford has 115 more starts under his belt, nearly 40,000 more passing yards and over 250 more touchdown passes. 

Stafford may not be Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but he isn't Theismann, either. Here's a look at the Rams quarterback's career stats and where he ranks on some key all-time leaderboards. 

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Matthew Stafford career stats

Stafford ranks sixth all-time in passing yards and seventh in touchdown passes, with more room to rise up the ranks. Stafford could pass Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre and even Peyton Manning on the all-time passing yards leaderboard with at least two more healthy seasons, and he sits three touchdown passes away from passing Philip Rivers for sixth in NFL history.

Despite a near-.500 career record, Stafford is 13th all-time in wins with 120. His passer rating ranks 26th all-time, while his completion rate of 63.5 percent is tied for 35th among all qualified quarterbacks.

There is no doubt longevity has helped Stafford put his name near the top of some of the NFL's most notable leaderboards, but his career stats generally line up with or surpass Rivers and Matt Ryan, who are believed to at least have borderline Hall of Fame cases. The difference, of course, is Stafford has a Super Bowl win, and an MVP award would give him one more advantage over Rivers.