Moving on doesn’t mean you forget — not about the old, ratty phone that served you well and, in Matthew Stafford’s case, not about the team he quarterbacked for 12 seasons.
In a new commercial that aired this week, an AT&T salesperson — Lily, played by Milana Vayntrub — tries to convince Stafford to get a new, free Samsung Galaxy S22 for trading in his old Galaxy.
“So, you can take your old phone that you’ve had for 12 years and loved every minute of it, and trade it in for something new that suits your life now?” Stafford asks. “And enjoy immediate success? Even though you’ll never forget your old phone, ever.”
“It’s a great trade,” Lily says.
“Life-changing,” Stafford says, with an audible wink into the camera.
Stafford, of course, is referring to his 12 years with the Detroit Lions, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 2009 and made him their franchise quarterback. Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, where he proceeded to win his first Super Bowl championship last month.
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Despite his relocation, many Lions fans stayed loyal to their old quarterback, rooting for the Rams in the Super Bowl.
“It was amazing,” Stafford said of his Detroit fans after his win. “There’s no reason for them to cheer for me anymore, and the fact that they did was just a true testament to who they are as people and who they are as fans.”
Contact Emma Stein: estein@freepress.com and follow her on Twitter @_emmastein.