Matthew Stafford has gone on build a heck of a career for himself after his early years with the Detroit Lions were derailed by a series of injuries; now he’s a Super Bowl champion and cornerstone of the Los Angeles Rams. The NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player shared some insight on his career and the teammates who made a positive influence on him during an interview on the Green Light with Chris Long YouTube show.
Two of Stafford’s old backups have gone on to explore new ventures — Dan Orlovsky is a popular commentator for ESPN, and Kellen Moore is head coach of the New Orleans Saints. From Stafford’s point of view, he expected Moore to develop into a great coach even when he was buried on Detroit’s depth chart. The hours of preparation Moore put into honing his craft, even as a backup, stood out to the starter.
“Like, you saw that early,” Stafford said. “You would see him and man, this guy, he had a knack for the game, understanding for play calling and, and doing all those kind of things even as a player. So, you know, it’s cool to see both those guys do their thing and be so successful at what they do, and looks like they’re both having a ton of fun doing it.”
Moore transitioned smoothly from throwing passes himself to calling plays over the headset with the Dallas Cowboys, climbing the ranks as a position coach to becoming a sought-after offensive coordinator. After leading the Philadelphia Eagles to their own Super Bowl win in 2024, he took over a directionless Saints team in 2025, and now they’re set up for a run back to relevance in 2026. If Moore gets New Orleans back to the playoffs this season, it doesn’t sound like Stafford will be surprised.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Matthew Stafford knew his old backup Kellen Moore would be great coach
