Matthew Stafford will be turning 37 in less than a week, on February 7, 2025. With his and the Los Angeles Rams’ loss in the divisional round, as well as the age factor, some fans have been compelled to think about Stafford’s retirement. Even his wife, Kelly, shared a cryptic message on her Instagram that fanned the flames. Although nothing of the sort has been made official yet, the quarterback did say, “I’ll take some time to think about it.” Then, in a recent turn of events, insider reports strongly suggested that he’d be back in the saddle in LA for 2025. So we are left scratching our heads—will he, won’t he? Until we know for sure, what matters most is that the Super Bowl winner is being hailed as a Rams hero.

Matthew Stafford, blissfully ignorant of the rumors of his retirement from the NFL, surprised his little fans. According to an Instagram post by Miami teacher Mary Crippen, who operates Class Class to educate little children about the league. In this post, the teacher could be seen telling her class an exciting story about the Rams and their quarterback.

She starts by showing the students some special gifts from the Rams. And guess what the presents were? Well, it was a football signed by Matthew Stafford himself, a book signed by their mascot, Rampage, and some other goodies. But the catch here is that the Rams sent these gifts even though the class hadn’t picked them in their draft, showing kindness just because they wanted to.

After that, Crippen then dived into Matthew Stafford‘s journey. She narrated to her Class Class, “Now, let’s talk about Matthew Stafford for a moment. I taught you a little bit about Jared Goff. And how Jared Goff used to play for the Rams. And Matthew Stafford used to play for the Lions. So, Matthew Stafford was the number one overall pick for the Detroit Lions. The Detroit Lions wanted Matthew. They got Matthew, right? They picked him number one.”

In addition, she recalled that Matthew Stafford’s team struggled, despite the QB being talented. They made the playoffs only three times and lost at the first hurdle each time in his 12 seasons there. The Lions held the unfortunate record for the longest playoff win drought, not winning a single playoff game since 1991. Then came the big trade in 2021.

Matthew Stafford was sent to the Rams, while Jared Goff, who had been the Rams quarterback, was traded to the Lions. Even though Stafford loved Detroit and spent over a decade there, things weren’t working out. Change was necessary, and it turned out to be the best decision. In his very first season with the Rams, Crippen quipped, Stafford “had an outstanding season, and he led them to the playoffs. And in the first round of the playoffs, the Rams beat the Cardinals…. Move on to the next round, and they beat the Buccaneers…. So, then they move on to the next round, and they beat the Niners!… And when they beat the Niners, this sent them to the Super Bowl.”

And the rest is history. Matthew Stafford and the Rams won, making him a champion after so many years of struggle. The teacher also used this quarterback’s story to teach a lesson that sometimes, even when we love where we are, change is needed to grow and succeed. Similarly, here, in the end, the trade worked out for both Stafford and Goff in their own ways.

This beautiful narration was loved by none other than Matthew Stafford’s wife.

Matthew Stafford’s beau replied to Mary Crippen!

After two weeks, Class Class teacher Mary Crippen’s IG video caught the attention of Matthew Stafford’s wife. Hence, to show honor and love for the teacher, proud wife Kelly Stafford re-shared the same video  on her Instagram story. But along with it, she shared a beautiful response for Crippen, “Teachers are so special (blue heart emoji) Love this!!”

No doubt, Mary Crippen enjoyed narrating the quarterback’s NFL journey to her kids. That’s the reason, she wrote, “Matthew Stafford 💙 What a joy it was to teach my littles all about you and your journey” in the caption. In addition, teaching life lessons to the next generation in such a way is indeed phenomenal. And it was amazing to see Kelly too, responding to her in the sweetest way.

Besides Kelly, Crippen was also appreciated by the Dolphins in December after their Week 14 win. It was because her Class Class broke down that victory for the students. And no need to mention this, it too was a beautiful narration with eye-opening learnings for the next generation.