Matthew Stafford Net Worth

What Is Matthew Stafford's Net Worth and Salary?

Matthew Stafford is an American professional football quarterback who has a net worth of $170 million. Since debuting in the NFL in 2009, Matthew has already earned over $330 million in salary, not including endorsements.

Matthew Stafford first gained national attention at the University of Georgia, where he was a standout quarterback and entered the NFL Draft after his junior season. In 2009, the Detroit Lions selected him with the first overall pick, making him the franchise's cornerstone as they looked to rebuild from an 0–16 season. Stafford immediately showcased his toughness, famously throwing a game-winning touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in 2009 despite suffering a serious shoulder injury on the previous play. Over the next 12 seasons in Detroit, he became the team's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, surpassing 45,000 career passing yards and earning a reputation as one of the league's most prolific passers, though postseason success largely eluded him.

In 2021, Stafford's career transformed when the Lions traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and draft picks. The move paired him with head coach Sean McVay and a roster built for immediate contention. In his first season with the Rams, Stafford threw for over 4,800 yards and 41 touchdowns, guiding the team to a 12–5 record. He capped the year with a stellar playoff run, delivering clutch performances against the Buccaneers and 49ers before leading a dramatic game-winning drive in Super Bowl LVI. The Rams' 23–20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals cemented Stafford's legacy, earning him his first championship after more than a decade in the league.

Contracts, Salary & Career Earnings

Matthew Stafford has earned over $330 million in NFL salary alone, making him one of the highest-paid players in league history. After being drafted first overall in 2009 by the Detroit Lions, he signed a six-year, $72 million rookie contract, then the largest ever given to an NFL player. In 2013, Stafford signed a three-year, $53 million extension, followed by a five-year, $135 million deal in 2017, which at the time made him the highest-paid player in the NFL.

When the Lions traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, Stafford inherited a four-year, $60 million contract. That same year, he helped deliver a Super Bowl victory, which paved the way for another blockbuster deal. In March 2022, he signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Rams, including $63 million fully guaranteed at signing and $120 million guaranteed overall. This contract secured his long-term place in Los Angeles while pushing his career earnings into record territory for quarterbacks of his generation.

In addition to his NFL salary, Stafford has earned tens of millions through endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, PepsiCo, and Panini. Between contracts and endorsements, his total career income rivals or exceeds that of many Hall of Fame quarterbacks.

Early Life

John Matthew Stafford was born on February 7, 1988, in Tampa, Florida. He is the son of Margaret and John Stafford. He has a younger sister named Page and grew up in Dunwoody, Georgia, while his father was in graduate school at the University of Georgia. Later, the family moved to Dallas, Texas, where Stafford attended Highland Park High School and was coached by Randy Allen. In 2005, Matthew led his team to a perfect 15-0 record and ultimately won the UIL 4A Division I State Championship. At the time, Stafford was considered to be one of the best high school quarterbacks in the nation and was ranked by Rivals.com as the number one professional-style quarterback prospect.

College Career

Graduating early from high school in 2006, Stafford enrolled at the University of Georgia, where he became the first freshman quarterback to start for the Georgia Bulldogs since 1998. Late in the opener of the 2006 season against Western Kentucky, he passed for 40 yards in a 48-12 victory. The rest of the season was inconsistent for the team; following two home losses, head coach Mark Richt named Matthew the starter for the rest of the season. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns, winning over Mississippi State. Stafford had the best game of his season against the Auburn Tigers, finishing the game 14 of 20 for 219 yards and a touchdown, winning 37-15. He completed his freshman season with an upset victory over Virginia Tech, finishing with 1,749 passing yards and seven touchdowns.

For the 2007 season, Stafford and Georgia accomplished a major feat when they defeated Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech, the first time the Bulldogs had triumphed over all three rivals in one season since 1982. Overall, Matthew helped lead the team to an 11-2 record over the season. When Georgia entered the 2008 season, it did so with the longest active winning streak among the 66 BCS conference teams. Stafford finished the season with a conference-leading 235 pass completions for 3,549 passing yards, the second most in the history of the school. Forgoing his senior season, Stafford went on to enter the NFL Draft.

Detroit Lions

Becoming the first overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft, Matthew Stafford signed a six-year, $78 million contract with the Detroit Lions, at the time the richest deal for a rookie quarterback. He immediately stepped into the starting role, becoming the first Lions rookie to open a season under center since 1968. Stafford quickly made his mark: in a November game against the Cleveland Browns, he threw five touchdowns and racked up 422 passing yards in a 38–37 victory, becoming the youngest quarterback ever to accomplish that feat. The gritty performance, which included him throwing the game-winning score despite a painful shoulder injury, earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors and set the tone for his reputation as one of the toughest players in the league.

Over his 12 seasons in Detroit, Stafford rewrote the franchise record book. In 2011, he threw for over 5,000 yards, becoming only the fourth quarterback in NFL history to reach that milestone at the time. He recorded a career-high 520 passing yards in a 2012 game against the Green Bay Packers and became the fastest player in league history to eclipse 40,000 passing yards, doing so in just 147 games. Stafford also set the NFL single-season record for comeback wins with eight fourth-quarter comebacks in 2016. By the time he departed Detroit, he ranked among the NFL's all-time top 20 in passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns, while also sitting third in career passing yards per game. His importance to the Lions was reflected financially as well—his 2017 five-year, $135 million extension briefly made him the highest-paid player in league history.

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Los Angeles Rams

In March 2021, Stafford's career took a dramatic turn when the Lions traded him to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round pick, and two future first-round selections. The move placed him in Sean McVay's offensive system and surrounded him with a roster loaded with talent, including wide receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive star Aaron Donald. Stafford's impact was immediate. In his debut season with Los Angeles, he threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns while guiding the Rams to a 12–5 record.

The postseason run that followed defined his career. Stafford engineered game-winning drives against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round and the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. In Super Bowl LVI, played in the Rams' home stadium in Inglewood, he threw three touchdowns, including the go-ahead strike to Kupp in the final minutes, to secure a 23–20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The triumph cemented his status as one of the league's elite quarterbacks and ended decades of speculation about what he could achieve with a championship-caliber roster.

After the title, the Rams rewarded Stafford with a four-year, $160 million contract extension in 2022, including $63 million fully guaranteed. While injuries limited him during the 2022 season and the team endured a difficult campaign, he bounced back in 2023 with another strong statistical year and helped Los Angeles return to playoff contention. Even as the Rams began to retool their roster, Stafford remained the stabilizing presence at quarterback, valued for his leadership, toughness, and ability to deliver under pressure.

Personal Life

While at the University of Georgia, Matthew met cheerleader Kelly Hall, the sister of former NFL player Chad Hall. They married in 2015 and have four daughters.

Real Estate

In Michigan, Stafford and Hall resided in a 12,000-square-foot mansion in Bloomfield Hills. The five-bedroom and seven-bathroom estate featured the largest infinity pool in the state of Michigan; it included a cascading waterfall over the side. The home also boasted an indoor half-basketball court and a dining room with a glass floor overlooking a temperature-controlled wine cellar. In 2016, the couple remodeled the house, adding polished granite floors, fireplaces, a glass elevator, balconies, an entertainment area, and a marble bathroom attached to the master suite. Stafford and Hall relisted the mansion for $6.5 million in January 2021.

Only a week after his trade to the Rams, Stafford purchased a $19.6 million spec home in the gated community of Hidden Hills, California. Developed by EGC Real Estate Group and designed by architecture firm 64North, the residence spans around 15,000 square feet and boasts a theater, gym, massage room, two wine rooms, a guest house, and a six-car garage.

In April 2022, Matthew expanded his Hidden Hills footprint with a unique $11 million purchase located a mile away from the previously mentioned property. For $11 million, which was $3.6 million over asking, he acquired two of the three homes that formerly made up Drake's Yolo Estate. Matthew acquired the two neighboring ranch homes that Drake added to the property in the years following his original 2012 purchase of the primary "Yolo Estate" mansion.

In May 2021, Stafford paid $19.6 million for a 15,000-square-foot Hidden Hills mansion. He sold this home in June 2022 for $21 million.

In December 2023, Matthew paid $28 million for yet another Hidden Hills estate. The newly-built 15,000-square-foot mansion is located right next door to a 1980s brick mansion the Staffords bought in 2022 for $10.5 million. The $28 million purchase expands their footprint in the exclusive neighborhood to three acres, two homes, and two pools.

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