Resume-wise, Aaron Rodgers still has the kind of hardware that usually ends an argument before it starts. Jason McIntyre thinks Matthew Stafford is making the ending complicated.
Stafford landing at No. 4 on the NFL’s 2026 Top 100 list prompted The Herd co-host to compare two quarterbacks whose career trajectories now seem to be moving in opposite directions. McIntyre conceded Rodgers owns the stronger résumé, but argued Stafford’s late-career surge, playoff success, and public image could eventually change how the two are remembered.
Jason McIntyre Says Matthew Stafford Is Closing the Legacy Gap
“Matt Stafford is immensely more likable than Aaron Rodgers,” McIntyre said during the Herd segment. “And oh, by the way, it’s not how you start; it’s how you finish. Matt Stafford is finishing on a very high note. Aaron Rodgers is absolutely not.”
Stafford earned his highest placement ever on the NFL Top 100 after winning his first MVP in 2025. He led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns while throwing only eight interceptions, then took Los Angeles to the NFC Championship Game.
McIntyre acknowledged that those accomplishments still do not match Rodgers on paper. Rodgers owns four MVP awards, a Super Bowl championship and a Super Bowl MVP. Stafford currently has one MVP and one ring.
His argument was about where the comparison could go next.
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McIntyre pointed to Stafford’s 7-3 playoff record over the past five seasons compared with Rodgers going 0-2, then noted that the Rams enter 2026 with legitimate championship expectations. If Stafford wins another Super Bowl, McIntyre believes the résumé gap becomes much easier to debate.
“Matt Stafford is immensely more likable than Aaron Rodgers. And oh, by the way – Stafford is finishing on a very high note and Aaron Rodgers is absolutely not!”@jasonrmcintyre weighs in on the Stafford-Rodgers debate pic.twitter.com/f59mvsIZuk
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 2, 2026
Aaron Rodgers Still Owns the Numbers, but Matthew Stafford Has Momentum
PFN’s current QB Impact rankings reinforce McIntyre’s point about recent form. Stafford finished 2025 with an 87.0 grade, No. 2 among qualifying quarterbacks. Rodgers posted a 71.9 grade, No. 29, after throwing for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions with Pittsburgh.
Rodgers has already announced that 2026 will be his final NFL season. Stafford, meanwhile, has not made the same commitment.
Rams tackle Rob Havenstein told The Herd earlier this summer that Stafford has shown no signs of wanting to stop and could potentially play several more years.
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That possibility is where McIntyre’s argument becomes more interesting. He openly admitted Rodgers still wins a straight career-resume comparison today, then moved into the less measurable part of legacy debates.
McIntyre called Stafford warm and likable while criticizing Rodgers’ public persona, political commentary, and off-field eccentricities. After referencing Rodgers’ darkness retreat and other controversies, he summed up his view bluntly: “He got weird.”
Likability does not add touchdowns, MVP trophies or playoff victories to a quarterback’s résumé. McIntyre’s point is that all-time debates rarely stay confined to spreadsheets anyway.
Stafford cannot erase four Rodgers MVPs. Another championship, another elite season, and a much stronger closing act could at least make a comparison that once sounded ridiculous feel considerably less automatic.
