Mike Sando: Matthew Stafford is a poor man’s Aaron Rodgers

Rumors of a Matthew Stafford to San Francisco trade are all the rage on 49ers Twitter right now, which is either infuriating or infatuating to those who cheer for the scarlet and gold. While we’ve all speculated about how we think the former number one overall draft pick would fit in Kyle Shanahan’s system, I thought I would ask someone who knows how quarterbacks are viewed by the rest of the league.

The Athletic’s Mike Sando has been taking the temperature of coaches, coordinators, and general managers around the league for years about the NFL’s starting quarterbacks for an annual column he calls QB Tiers. I had the chance to sit down with him yesterday to find out what the general consensus is on Stafford, and how he’d fit in San Francisco.

“Stafford is a poor man’s Aaron Rodgers,” Sando said, “He’s not going to be as good as Aaron Rodgers but he makes some of the same throws. He has an instinctive way about him. He can sort of fit balls in with the side arm or a ‘wow’ throw. He’s not as good as Aaron Rodgers, of course, but he’s closer to Aaron Rodgers than Jimmy Garoppolo is, or most quarterbacks are. So, what happens when you put Matthew Stafford in a Kyle Shanahan offense is, suddenly it looks really easy for him.”

Say what you want about Stafford, but that is a pretty exciting thought. Even if he threw ten fewer touchdowns than Rodgers this year, that would still be 38 scores- which would be two more than any 49ers quarterback has ever thrown in a single season. In fact, San Francisco hasn’t seen a QB throw for 30 TDs since Jeff Garcia did it twenty years ago.

For more on how Stafford would fit in San Francisco, please listen to today’s Niners Nation Podcast, in the player below or on your favorite podcast platform. If you like what you hear, a five-star rating and a review would be much appreciated.

Other topics in today’s episode

-Why Matthew Stafford is the opposite of Jimmy Garoppolo

-How Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling would change with a different quarterback

-The difference in the 49ers with Jimmy G. vs. Matt Stafford