The Joe Quarterback Podcast

Wide receivers have been some of the most prolific personalities in the NFL over the years. Players like Rice, Fitzgerald, Moss, Bruce, Owens (ok, some more prolific than others…). And then you have the modern players working to etch their names into history – Evans, Hopkins, Adams, Allen (say what you like about his current season, Keenan ranks 34^th in career receiving yards and is 39 yards away from passing 3x Super Bowl Champion Michael Irvin).

But without the right quarterback, the wide receiver doesn’t get the ball. Rice had Montana, then Young. Irvin had Aikman. Fitzgerald and Bruce split time on Warner. It’s no exaggeration to say that the NFL quarterback may be the most critical position in sports. And there’s a quarterback out there who spent the formative years of his career on a lackluster team who’s been quietly building a resume that’s sure to make him a first ballot hall of famer.

I didn’t care for math in school; I do like patterns. And I like it when I see a patterns (which I guess means I like statistics which means I like part of math – fine…). How’s this for a pattern:

• Calvin Johnson (hail, Megatron!) holds the single-season record for receiving yards with 1,964 in 2012
• Cooper Kupp is second on that list with 1,947 receiving yards in 2021, the same year he achieved the receiving trip crown (145 receptions, 16 touchdowns being the other two legs of that stool).
• Finally, current statistical models indicate Puka Nacua is on pace to achieve 1,999 receiving yards this season.

Class: what is the common denominator in this little math problem? Anyone? Anyone?

If you said Matthew Stafford – you’re correct. After being drafted #1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, Stafford spent the first 12 season of his career in the doldrums of Detroit. Slowly building the resume and reputation for being a gritty player, willing to do what was needed for his team (if you need receipts, who can forget this game against the Browns?).

We’re talking about a guy who is ninth in career passing yards at 62,639 (the only other active player in the top 10 is Aaron Rodgers at #5). If he hits his projected pace of 4,298 passing yards by the end of the 2025 season, he’d move into sixth place, passing Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger. With a Super Bowl ring already on this finger, if he successfully completes an MVP campaign this season (and, who knows – another Super Bowl?), go ahead and start carving the bust, because he’ll be in Canton.