Matthew Stafford Sent Signed Jersey to Fan Who Sold Memorabilia to Attend Lions Game

Matthew Stafford is no longer the Detroit Lions' quarterback, but he continues to show his appreciation for Lions fans.

Bryson Machonga—a Lions fan from Appleton, Wisconsin—made a difficult decision so that he could afford to take his 8-year-old daughter to the Lions' NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Washington Commanders.

In a story written by Dave Boucher of the Detroit Free Press, Machonga divulged that he sold some of his favorite sports memorabilia in order to buy tickets to the game, including a Lions jersey autographed by Stafford.

According to Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith, Stafford caught wind of the article and decided to pay it forward by sending Machonga a replacement.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback not only sent Machonga an autographed jersey, but it was a game-used jersey from Detroit's 11-5 season in 2014.

Included with the autograph was the message: "To Bryson-Thanks for all the support."

Machonga was effusive in his praise of Stafford, telling Boucher (h/t Smith):

"I was over the moon. ... Disbelief at the start. But then it just turned into resounding joy, excitement. It just reconfirmed who Matthew Stafford is. He had no reason to go about doing this. He had no gain. He's not our quarterback anymore. ... He went out of his way in a playoff week."

Stafford, who will turn 37 next month, was the Lions' No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, and he went on to spend his first 12 NFL seasons in Detroit.

He is the franchise's all-time leader in passing yardage (45,109), passing touchdowns (282) and completions (3,898) by a significant margin.

After the 2020 season, the then-rebuilding Lions traded Stafford to the Rams in a move that paid dividends for both organizations.

Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl win in his first season with the organization, while the Lions got back quarterback Jared Goff and multiple draft picks in the trade.

Goff was an MVP finalist this season for a Lions team that went 15-2, although Detroit was upset by Washington in the playoffs.

Stafford and the Rams beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round before falling to the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round.

Although Stafford has moved on to another phase of his career in L.A., his good deed suggests that he still appreciates his NFL roots.