Matthew Stafford’s first year with the Los Angeles Rams couldn’t have gone any more perfect as he led his new team to a win in Super Bowl LVI.
Before coming to Los Angeles, Stafford spent 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions where he was unfortunately subjected to poor rosters and coaching. The signal caller always had the arm and the talent to lead a team to success, but it took him asking out from the Lions to truly prove to the NFL that he belongs in the top-tier of quarterbacks.
Since trading Stafford, the Lions have embarked on a rebuild that is headlined by first-round draft pick Jameson Williams. The rookie wideout represents a bright future for the franchise, but he also showed respect for the past as he texted Stafford himself to request permission to wear No. 9, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN:
#Lions rookie Jameson Williams has officially switched his jersey to No. 9 — Matthew Stafford’s old Detroit number. He was looking for a single digit number and actually reached out to Stafford on his own via text as an act of courtesy, according to a source. Classy move. pic.twitter.com/wzkhJmQRQd
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) August 10, 2022
Williams originally chose to wear No. 81 to pay homage to another Lions great in Calvin Johnson but decided he wanted a single-digit jersey number. Stafford reportedly had no issues giving up his old number to Williams, a classy move from him.
While Williams will have to wait to debut his new jersey number as he recovers from an ACL injury, Stafford will be looking to help the Rams get through another deep postseason run.
