While the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford worked out a short-term agreement last offseason, there remains plenty of uncertainty regarding the future of the veteran quarterback who will turn 38 years old this coming February.
For a lengthy piece published on Wednesday, Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop revealed that Stafford seemingly isn’t thinking about riding off into the sunset of retirement in early 2026.
Would Matthew Stafford retire if Rams win Super Bowl LX?
“The handshake deal remains in place,” Bishop said about the Rams and Stafford. “Each year, Stafford and the Rams will do their own assessments. Never say never, but no one in his inner circle believes Stafford will retire after this season, even if he wins another championship and could retire, like [Hall of Famer John Elway], completing the rarest sendoff in pro football — out on top.”
Stafford was previously the subject of retirement rumors after he dealt with a spinal cord contusion during the 2022 campaign. A lingering back problem bothered him ahead of the start of this season, but he then became the betting favorite to win the Most Valuable Player Award before he threw three interceptions in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons this past Monday night.
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Drake Maye of the New England Patriots as the betting favorite at -295 odds to claim MVP Award honors. Stafford was second on the list at +225 odds.
Is Matthew Stafford close to feeling done?
The numbers indicate Stafford has plenty left in the tank. According to Pro Football Reference, he will head into Week 18 leading the league with 42 touchdown passes on the season. He’s second among qualified quarterbacks with a 108.8 passer rating, second with 4,448 passing yards and fifth with a 70.1 adjusted QBR.
According to Bishop, Stafford isn’t yet thinking too much about how he’ll be remembered decades down the road.
“I don’t think [my career is] done, No. 1,” Stafford directly said. “And I’m still in it.”
The best the 11-5 Rams can finish this weekend is as the NFC’s No. 5 seed for the playoffs. On Wednesday, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams second among the betting favorites at +550 odds to win Super Bowl LX.