Rams QB Matthew Stafford on verge of tying NFL record for most losses ever by a quarterback

It's been a rough year for the Los Angeles Rams so far. They were the preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl, but through six weeks, the Rams are just 2-4, and it's starting to look like a possibility they could miss the playoffs. 

To make matters worse, if the Rams lose on Sunday, that would be the 123rd loss of Matthew Stafford's career, which would put him in a tie for the most losses by a quarterback in NFL history. That's probably an NFL record that he would prefer not to have. 

As things currently stand, Stafford has 122 career losses, which puts him one behind Vinny Testaverde. 

Let's take a look at the five quarterbacks with the most losses in NFL history: 

To even make this list, you have to play for a long time, and Stafford has done that. 

The 38-year-old has been in the NFL since 2009, when the Lions made him the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. During his 12 seasons in Detroit, he won many games, but he couldn't get the Lions over the hump. He never won a playoff game in the Motor City, and he eventually requested a trade out of town, which led the Lions to deal him to the Rams in 2021. 

During his first season in Los Angeles, Stafford won the first playoff game of his career while leading the Rams to a win in Super Bowl LVI. 

Here's a look at Stafford's career record with each team: 

• Lions (2009-2020): 74-90-1
• Rams (2021-present): 48-32
• Overall: 122-122-1

With two more losses this season, which seems extremely likely at this point, Stafford will be the sole owner of the NFL record for most losses. As weird as it sounds, the fact that Stafford will likely break that record is actually a testament to his success and his longevity. If you're in the NFL long enough, no matter how successful you are, you're definitely going to lose at times. The key is to bounce back from failure. 

If you fail too often as a QB, you'll eventually get benched, and you won't be around long enough to lose 122 games. 

Stafford's Hall of Fame chances

Of the five quarterbacks with the most losses, two of them — Brees and Favre — are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so Stafford does have some good company. 

You have to have some success to stick around, and Stafford has definitely had that. Not only does he already have a Super Bowl win under his belt, but he was also voted MVP for the first time in his career in 2025. Those two things are what could eventually put him in the Hall of Fame.

Including Stafford, there are only 15 quarterbacks in NFL history who have won at least one Super Bowl AND one MVP. Of the previous 14, 10 of them are already in the Hall of Fame, and another three — Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes — will soon be joining them. That means 13 of the 14 previous quarterbacks to pull off the Super Bowl/MVP double are enshrined in Canton or will be soon. The only QB not to make the Hall of Fame out of this group is Joe Theisman, who had his career cut short after suffering a gruesome leg injury in 1985. 

Even if Stafford ends his career with the most losses in NFL history, there's certainly still a chance that he ends up in the Hall of Fame. 

Unfortunately for Stafford, though, he'll likely hold the all-time losses record for the rest of his life. Aaron Rodgers (95 losses) and Joe Flacco (94) are the only active quarterbacks with more than 90 losses, and they likely won't end up playing long enough to break the record. Rodgers has already said he's going to retire after this year, and Flacco isn't currently a starter. 

Outside of those two, Andy Dalton (83 losses) and Kirk Cousins (80) are the only other active quarterbacks with at least 80 losses. Dalton is no longer a starter, and it seems unlikely that the 38-year-old Cousins will stick around long enough to break the record, so those two are probably out. 

Baker Mayfield might have the best chance to top Stafford. The Buccaneers QB is 31 and has a career record of 58-65. That averages out to a record of about 8-9 every year. If Mayfield plays just seven more seasons and averages an 8-9 record, that would put him at 128 losses, plus, you'd be able to add any losses that he suffers this year. 

If Mayfield doesn't top the mark, then Stafford might one day make the Hall of Fame despite being the losingest quarterback in NFL history.