Matthew Stafford is embracing the 'bad guy' role in return to Detroit

There was a running joke after the Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI two years ago that it was a shared championship with the Detroit Lions because of the franchise’s ties to quarterback Matthew Stafford.

But now that the Lions are making their first playoff appearance since 2017 and happen to be hosting Stafford and the Rams, the nostalgia has dissipated and Stafford doesn’t expect to be welcomed back with open arms.

“I think the biggest thing for me is to go experience whatever that experience is going to be (at Ford Field),” Stafford told reporters on Wednesday. “I understand what the people of Detroit, what the city of Detroit, meant to me in my time in my career, what they meant to my family. I hope they feel that back. But at the same time, I’m not a stranger to the situation in understanding that I’m the bad guy coming to town. I’m on the other team, they don’t want success from me. So, whatever happens, happens.”

While Stafford presumably has his fair share of well-wishers in the Detroit area, some have gone out of their way to make it known they aren’t among them. 

Popular Detroit whiskey bar Thomas Magee’s announced on their Facebook page that they would not allow entrance to anyone wearing a Stafford jersey, while Detroit clothing brand The Detroit Line tried to start a movement on their X account banning anyone from wearing a Stafford jersey at Ford Field during the game.