Matt Stafford is another one of those dependable quarterbacks that has flown under the radar the past decade. While he fights for his team to succeed, it never seems like the Detroit Lions have all of the right tools to make it deep into the postseason. In 2006, Matthew Stafford became the first true freshman quarterback to start at quarterback for the University of Georgia Bulldogs since Quincy Carter in 1998. Stafford would go on to lead the Bulldogs to victory in the 2007 Chick-Fil-A Bowl, the 2008 Sugar Bowl, and the 2008 Capitol One Bowl.
After having so much success in the SEC, Stafford was drafted 1st overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions where he's played his entire career. While Stafford has only been invited to the Pro Bowl one time, where he also won Offensive MVP in 2014, he holds a couple of notable NFL records under his belt. Stafford is the fastest quarterback to reach 40,000 passing yards, he also holds the record for most comeback wins in a season with 8 (2016), and he's the fourth quarterback to throw over 5,000 in a single season. In 2017, Stafford signed a five-year, $135 million extension with the Lions making him the highest-paid athlete in the NFL at the time.