Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford ( born February 7 , 1988 ) is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Lions first overall in the 2009 NFL Draft . He played college football at the University of Georgia . He is the 4th quarterback in NFL history to throw over 5 , 000 yards in a single season , including one of three in the 2011 season ( Drew Brees , and Tom Brady ) . Early years . Stafford was born in Tampa , Florida to John and Margaret Stafford . He lived in Dunwoody , Georgia while his father attended graduate school at the University of Georgia . His family then moved to Dallas , Texas , and Stafford attended Highland Park High School . He was coached by Randy Allen and was widely considered to be one of the best high school quarterbacks in the United States in the Class of 2006 , ranked ahead of Tim Tebow . Stafford made his varsity debut in the 2002 playoffs against Sulphur Springs High School . He lettered in baseball as a power hitting first baseman where he was teammates with future Major League Baseball pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Jordan Walden . However , after a disappointing junior football season in which he threw for only 1 , 748 yards , 18 TDs and 11 INTs , Stafford quit baseball to concentrate on football . In 2005 , he led his team to a perfect 15 – 0 record and won the Texas 4A Division I State Championship . During the playoff run , Stafford faced stiff competition from Jevan Snead and Ryan Mallett . Both gave Stafford very close games . Stafford had over 4 , 000 yards passing without playing the first three games of the season due to a knee injury . Stafford received numerous accolades including being named to the " Parade " All - America Team and the USA Today Pre - Season Super 25 in 2005 . He also won the MVP and Best Arm awards at the 2005 EA Sports Elite 11 Quarterback Camp and was named the 2005 EA Sports National Player of the Year . Regarded as a five - star recruit by " Rivals . com " , Stafford was listed as the # 1 pro - style quarterback prospect in the class of 2006 by Rivals . com . Before he had even started a game at the collegiate level , analyst Mel Kiper , Jr . predicted , correctly , that Stafford would eventually be the first pick in the NFL Draft . College career . Freshman . Stafford graduated early from high school and enrolled at the University of Georgia in January , where he became the first true freshman Bulldog QB to start since Quincy Carter in 1998 , and first out of high school to start since Eric Zeier in 1991 . Stafford wore number 7 at Georgia . He completed five of 12 passes for 102 yards and one TD in a Georgia spring game . Stafford debuted late in the season opener of the 2006 season against Western Kentucky and went 3 of 5 passing for 40 yards and a touchdown pass . During the season ' s third game , against South Carolina , starting quarterback Joe Tereshinski III was injured , forcing Stafford to come off the bench . Although he completed just 8 of 19 passes for 171 yards and three interceptions , Georgia won the game , 18 – 0 . Against University of Alabama Birmingham the following week , Stafford made his first collegiate start . Georgia won , 34 – 0 . Victories over Colorado and Mississippi improved Georgia ' s record to 5 – 0 , but the heart of the conference schedule loomed . The rest of the season was up and down for Stafford and the Bulldogs . Following home losses to both Tennessee and Vanderbilt , Coach Richt named Stafford the starter for the rest of the season ahead of Tereshinski . Stafford completed 20 of 32 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns in the 27 – 24 triumph over Mississippi State , and was named the SEC Freshmen of the Week for his efforts . Statistically , he had his best game of the season against the 5th - ranked Auburn Tigers . Stafford finished the game 14 of 20 for 219 yards and a touchdown , and added 83 rushing yards and a touchdown on 7 carries in Georgia ' s 37 – 15 upset win . The following week , Stafford led the Bulldogs on a 12 - play , 64 - yard drive and threw the game - winning touchdown pass in Georgia ' s 15 – 12 win over No . 16 Georgia Tech . Stafford completed his freshman season by leading Georgia to a 31 – 24 come - from - behind victory over Virginia Tech in the Chick - fil - A Bowl , after the Bulldogs trailed 21 – 3 at halftime . Stafford threw for 129 yards and a second half touchdown to spark the comeback . Sophomore . He threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the season opener . Against Alabama , the Bulldogs avoided an 0 – 2 start in SEC play by escaping Bryant - Denny Stadium with an overtime win . Stafford connected with senior wide receiver Mikey Henderson on the Bulldogs ' first play from scrimmage in OT for the winning score . In UGA ' s win vs . No . 9 Florida , he completed 11 of 18 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns , including a career - long TD pass of 84 yards to Mohamed Massaquoi and a 53 yard TD pass to Henderson . The wins over Florida , Auburn , and Georgia Tech marked the first time that Georgia had defeated all three rivals in the same season since 1982 . Stafford had 175 yards passing and a TD pass during Georgia ' s 41 – 10 rout of the No . 10 Hawaii Warriors in the 2008 Sugar Bowl . He completed 194 of 348 passes for 2 , 523 yards ( 194 . 1 / game ) and 19 TDs as well as two rushing TDs for the season . Junior . Stafford was chosen to " Athlon " ’ s preseason Heisman Favorites Others To Watch list . Georgia was ranked # 1 in both the preseason coaches poll and the AP poll , marking the first time Georgia has ever been # 1 in the preseason version of either poll ; the team also entered the 2008 season with the longest active winning streak among the 66 BCS conference teams , having won its last 7 games of the 2007 season . In the final regular season game against Georgia Tech , Stafford completed 24 out of 39 attempts for 407 yards and 5 touchdowns , setting a personal record for touchdowns in a single game . Stafford finished the season with 3 , 459 passing yards , the second most in school history , and 25 touchdowns , the single - season record for passing touchdowns . He also rushed for a touchdown in 2008 . After defeating Michigan State 24 – 12 and winning the MVP of the 2009 Capital One Bowl , Stafford finished his three years at Georgia with a 3 – 0 record in bowl games and a 6 – 3 record in rivalry games ( 1 – 2 against Florida , 3 – 0 against Auburn , and 2 – 1 against Georgia Tech ) . Stafford chose to forgo his senior season and enter the 2009 NFL Draft . The " Stafford Effect " . The so - called " Stafford Effect " relates to the phenomenon seen at Stafford ' s high school alma mater , Highland Park High School in Dallas , Texas , from 2006 – 2008 , where the number of seniors who applied to University of Georgia rose dramatically in the three years following Stafford ' s departure to Athens , Georgia . In 2005 , the year before Stafford went to Georgia , 35 seniors applied to the university , compared with 69 in 2006 , 75 in 2007 , and 106 in 2008 . The " Stafford Effect " was chronicled in a feature story in Stafford ' s hometown newspaper , " Park Cities People " . Stafford remarked in the story , " I ' m not sure I have anything to do with it . I think people realize Georgia is a good school to watch football and have a good time , just like in Highland Park . " Professional career . 2009 NFL Draft . Already after the 2008 NFL Draft , several NFL analysts predicted Stafford would be the # 1 pick in the 2009 Draft if he chose to leave school early . He eventually did , and on April 24 , 2009 , agreed to record contract terms with the Detroit Lions to become the first overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft , one day before the draft was held . The six - year contract reportedly contains $ 41 . 7 million in guaranteed money ( the most guaranteed to any player in NFL history until July 30 , 2010 , when Sam Bradford signed a deal with $ 50 million guaranteed ) and carries a total value of up to $ 78 million . Detroit Lions . 2009 . On September 6 , 2009 , Lions head coach Jim Schwartz announced that Stafford would be the Lions ' permanent starting quarterback heading into the 2009 season . Regarding his decision , Schwartz stated , " This isn ' t an internship or an experiment . " Stafford beat out veteran Daunte Culpepper for the starting job . Stafford made his first start in the NFL on September 13 , 2009 . He was one of four rookie starters for the Lions ( Brandon Pettigrew , Louis Delmas and Sammie Hill ) in the season opener against the New Orleans Saints , and was the first Lions rookie quarterback to start the season since Greg Landry in 1968 . He completed 16 of 37 passes for 205 yards and 3 interceptions ; he was intercepted twice by Darren Sharper , the other time by Scott Shanle . He also ran in a 1 - yard touchdown . In Week 2 , he threw his first career touchdown pass when he connected with Calvin Johnson on a 6 - yard touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings . In week 3 , Stafford led the Lions to their first victory since the 2007 season . He completed 21 of 36 for 241 yards and one touchdown in Detroit ' s 19 – 14 win over the Washington Redskins . In Week 4 , Stafford completed 24 of 36 for 296 yards with one touchdown as well as an interception before suffering a knee injury while being sacked in the fourth quarter of Detroit ' s 48 – 24 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field . He underwent further evaluation back in Detroit . Culpepper started in his place in week 5 , and again in week 6 . On November 22 , 2009 , Stafford threw 5 touchdowns in a 38 – 37 win over the Cleveland Browns , becoming the youngest quarterback ever to do so , being more than a year younger than the former record holder , Dan Marino . In a thrilling ending , Stafford received high acclaim when he stepped back onto the field despite team doctors ' urge to stay on the sideline after suffering a separated shoulder on the previous play and threw the final touchdown pass as time expired . In addition to the five touchdown passes , Stafford accumulated 422 yards passing , a record for a rookie at that time . For his performance , Stafford won NFC Offensive Player of the Week and Pepsi Rookie of the Week . Stafford was mic ' d up for the game for " NFL Films " . The show ' s creator Steve Sabol said it was the most dramatic performance he ' s seen in the show ' s 30 year history . Stafford was placed on injured reserve on December 24 for the minor knee injury . Stafford concluded his rookie season having passed for 2 , 267 yards , 13 touchdowns , and 20 interceptions . In all 10 of the games he started for the Lions he either threw or ran for a touchdown . 2010 . Stafford injured his right shoulder in the season opener against the Chicago Bears on September 12 . Stafford returned on October 31 against the Washington Redskins and threw 4 touchdowns to lead the Lions to a 37 – 25 win . On November 7 , Stafford re - injured his right shoulder in the fourth quarter of the Lions 23 – 20 OT loss to the New York Jets . It was announced by the Lions that Dr . James Andrews had performed surgery on Stafford ' s throwing shoulder , which included an AC joint repair and a clavicle shaving , thus ending his 2010 season . 2011 . The Lions opened the season on September 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with high expectations . Stafford played well , throwing for 305 yards , 3 TDs , and an interception in a 27 - 20 win , the first season opener the Lions had won since 2007 . Another strong performance followed , with Stafford throwing for 4 TDs , 294 yards , and an interception against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 , leading the Lions to a 48 - 3 blowout victory , the largest win margin in team history . Stafford won the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for his performance . In Weeks 3 and 4 , Stafford led the team to consecutive comeback victories , a 26 – 23 overtime comeback victory over the Minnesota Vikings after trailing 20 – 0 at halftime in Week 3 , and a 34 - 30 win over the Dallas Cowboys after trailing 27 - 3 with 12 : 27 left in the 3rd quarter . Week 5 saw Stafford orchestrate a 24 - 13 win over the Chicago Bears , going 19 of 26 for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns . This is the first time the Lions have gone 5 - 0 since 1956 , the year before they won their last NFL Championship . On Week 10 against the Bears , Stafford threw four interceptions , including two that were returned for touchdowns on consecutive drives . The game was marred by a brawl that began when Stafford threw Bears cornerback D . J . Moore to the ground by his helmet during a block on an interception return . In response , Moore attacked Stafford and a sideline - clearing brawl ensued . Stafford was fined $ 7500 for his role in the brawl . On November 20 , Stafford threw for 335 yards and 5 TDs as the Lions defeated the Carolina Panthers 49 - 35 . Stafford became the first QB since at least 1950 to win back to back games after trailing by at least 20 points , the first to win three games in a season after trailing by at least 17 points , and the first to win four games in a season after trailing by at least 13 points according to STATS , LLC . On January 1 , 2012 , Stafford became the fourth quarterback in NFL history and third in the 2011 season , along with Tom Brady and Drew Brees , to throw for 5000 passing yards in a season after collecting 520 passing yards against the Green Bay Packers in a 45 - 41 loss in Week 17 and finished the season with a 10 - 6 record , leading the Lions to their first playoff appearance since 1999 . The accomplishment makes Stafford the second youngest quarterback in NFL history to do so behind only Dan Marino . Over the last four games of the 2011 regular season , Stafford became the only quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 1 , 500 yards ( 1 , 511 ) and 14 touchdowns over a four - game span . During the Wild Card Round in the playoffs against the New Orleans Saints , Stafford threw for 380 yards with 3 touchdowns passes and rushing for one too , but threw two late picks in the fourth quarter that sealed the game for the Lions , as they were defeated 45 - 28 . Stafford was named a Pro Bowl alternate for the NFC after the 2011 NFL season . He was later named the 2011 Pro Football Weekly Comeback Player of the Year , AP Comeback Player of the Year and NFL Alumni Quarterback of the Year . 2012 . While the 2011 season proved to be the best season of Stafford ' s young career , 2012 would be one full of setbacks . On the opening game against the St . Louis Rams , Stafford threw 3 interceptions to only 1 touchdown pass ; the Lions nevertheless found a way to win the game , 27 - 23 . Stafford and the Lions would lose the next three games , however , to the 49ers , Titans , and Vikings . In the ensuing weeks , the Lions would manage to win three games , including impressive come from behind wins against the Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles , and a complete dominating performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars . These would prove to be the final winning games of the Lions the 2012 season as they ended the season with an eight game losing streak . Stafford finished the season with 20 touchdown passes , a huge step back compared to the 41 he threw in 2011 ; 17 interceptions , one more than 2011 , and second most in his career since his rookie season ; 4 , 967 passing yard on 727 attempts ( an NFL record ) ; and a QB rating of 79 . 8 , the lowest since his rookie season . He also rushed for a career high 126 yards and 4 touchdowns . Media career . Stafford has a weekly segment on Mondays on " The Mitch Albom Show " with Mitch Albom on Detroit radio station WJR .