The Los Angeles Rams are working on a new deal for Matthew Stafford, and that new deal could point heavily to what his playing future plans are.
A lot was said during the NFL owners' meetings by Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay. With some of the bigger storylines being that Davante Adams was the subject of trade talks, some more updates were given on Matthew Stafford.
Stafford surprised a lot of people by announcing at NFL Honors that he would return for the 2026 season. However, beyond that still remains a mystery. The Rams are already actively working on a new deal for the MVP quarterback, will may reveal what his plans are.
McVay was not coy when speaking at the meetings, saying that he "never" thinks about a life after Stafford. Focusing on the here and now does make sense, but the organization could be in a tough spot if and when the signal caller hangs up his cleats.
That said, a new deal is being worked on for the 2026 season and beyond that. McVay revealed that conversations are ongoing, which include adding additional years.
"Does that look like, hey, are we just going to keep that kind of year in place?" McVay said. "Do we do anything additional or do you want to really put two years in place? So he's working through that, but it's been a lot smoother than last year, to say the least."
Nobody quite knows what Stafford plans to do past 2026, but a Super Bowl win could see him ride off into the sunset at the top of NFL mountain. However, another near-miss might also lead to his wanting to return until the team wins that final championship with him under center.
Either way, Stafford will be back in 2026. McVay also indicated through his reveal on the new contract deal and outright saying that he believes his MVP quarterback will play 2027 as well.
McVay indicated that he would be "shocked" if Stafford played another two years. Nobody would be shocked either. Considering he is 38 years old and has seemingly only gotten better with time, why end things now?
There are some injury issues that have popped up, including the back ailment that knocked him out of training camp in 2025. Even with that, he put together the most impressive season of his career. Stafford is as tough as they come, but eventually injuries can catch up to players.
It is more likely that Stafford will listen to his body and determine when enough has been enough, but the Rams being so close to a Super Bowl appearance and victory in 2025 likely was the motivating factor to run it back.
Any number of things can happen to the Rams in 2026. But if they are close to or do win another Super Bowl, that may be it for Stafford.