Last year, Matthew Stafford enjoyed a career year with the Los Angeles Rams. The First-Team All-Pro led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, and threw just 8 interceptions. For the first time in his 17-year career, Stafford won the NFL’s MVP award.
While that was last season, now NFL analysts are projecting what the Rams’ QB1 could be in store for in 2026. Some think he’s on a career path to end up as an all-time great. But not everyone agrees.
Dan Orlovsky Ripped for Bold Take on Matthew Stafford
Earlier this week, ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky went on “Get Up” and stated his belief that if Stafford can lead the Rams to another Super Bowl win, he’d automatically become a top-five QB in NFL history.
Well, FS1’s Nick Wright didn’t agree with Orlovsky’s opinion, and he let it be known on the “What’s Wright With Nick Wright” podcast. Wright went so far as to call Orlovsky’s statement an “unacceptable opinion.”
“So, Orlovsky said, if Matthew Stafford gets another one, meaning another championship, he becomes top-5, top-7 all-time conversation,” Wright said. “That’s opinion. Can’t be wrong. No, some opinions not only are wrong, they’re unacceptable. Saying that we could end this season with Matt Stafford a top-5 quarterback is a perfect example of an unacceptable opinion.”
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Wright was so disgusted by Orlovsky’s opinion that he continued with his rant. He even said that even if Stafford did win another Lombardi Trophy, he still wouldn’t even be a top-five QB in the past 25 years.
“It’s an unacceptable opinion… some opinions not only are wrong they’re unacceptable.”@getnickwright cannot comprehend Dan Orlovsky’s Matt Stafford take pic.twitter.com/mFHHXQ3rma
— What’s Wright? with Nick Wright (@WhatsWrightShow) September 2, 2026
“I personally, even if they win the Super Bowl this year, would not have Matt Stafford in the top-5 of quarterbacks of the last 25 years,” Wright added. “Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees. There’s five just this quarter century.”
“Brett Favre, Steve Young, you want to start having a discussion about him versus Aikman? No problem,” Wright continued. “Him versus Kurt Warner? We can have that discussion. You just can’t have the opinion (that) if Stafford wins the Super Bowl, he might be one of the five greatest quarterbacks of all time.”
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Most would likely side with Wright on this one. While Stafford is one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks right now, he hasn’t historically been one of the greatest. For example, Stafford has been named to only three Pro Bowls.
Yet, there’s also no denying that Stafford is now at the top of his game, even at the age of 38. Last year, Stafford earned a PFN Impact Score of 87, which was good for second among NFL QBs.
The belief is he’ll return to being a top-five current QB in 2026, but Stafford still has a long way to go before being considered an all-time great. Except in Orlovsky’s eyes, where Stafford still has just one more bar to clear.
