David Blough was an undrafted rookie third-string quarterback for the Detroit Lions in 2019, when he first met Matthew Stafford. These days, Blough is entering his third year of coaching and his first as the Washington Commanders‘ offensive coordinator. Meanwhile, Stafford is about to enter his 18th NFL season and is coming off his first MVP award.
Back to 2019. It was Week 5, and Blough’s wife, Melissa, an accomplished hurdler, was in Qatar for the World Athletics Championships. So, during Detroit’s bye week, Stafford did something special for Blough and his wife, despite having known him for only about a month. After signing as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns, Blough was traded to Detroit on Aug. 30, just before the season.
Washington’s new offensive coordinator joined Ari Meirov’s podcast Tuesday and shared the story.
“My wife was running internationally,” Blough said via Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire. “In 2019, she was running at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar. And I hadn’t seen her since she went on the international circuit. Our bye week was after Week 4, and I had known Matthew for a whole month. That’s it. Just one month. … And he basically says to me – her season was over, she had finished in the quarterfinals – and he says, ‘How come she can’t fly home? How come she can’t come home for the bye week? You need to see her. It’s a long season.’ She wasn’t able to fly back yet and he called me on the Tuesday of our bye week, knowing we had Thursday through Sunday off, and he calls me and says, ‘Hey, can she get on a flight tomorrow night from Doha to Chicago? You can pick her up there. I’ll pay for it. I’ll fly your wife home for you. I had known him for a month, and he is doing this for me.”
#Commanders OC David Blough shares how Matthew Stafford, after knowing him for only a month, paid to fly David’s wife back to the U.S. so they could be together during their bye week.
“How come she can’t be home?”
This is one of the best stories I’ve heard on the show. 🥹 https://t.co/0iv3cwlu7spic.twitter.com/V37dShK0E1
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 14, 2026
That’s a great story. You don’t often hear a lot about Stafford, which is by design. But not only did the star quarterback show tremendous leadership, but he also took it upon himself to do something extremely kind for a new, young teammate.
Blough was excellent on Meirov’s podcast, as he discussed numerous topics, including Jayden Daniels and the offense he’ll run with the Commanders in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: David Blough shares heartwarming Matthew Stafford story
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