The Los Angeles Rams have provided an update with more details about Matthew Stafford's back injury last season.
The Los Angeles Rams made an impressive run last season. Unfortunately, they came up just short in the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Matthew Stafford put on a show all season long. He ended up winning the NFL MVP award, but his season almost went much differently.
As shared by head coach Sean McVay recently, Stafford almost began the season on IR. Stafford almost missed the start of the 2025 season.
"What people don't realize is how close -- [Stafford] and I sat down -- and I was like, 'Hey, this isn't responding the way we had hoped,'" McVay said. "'Let's put you on temporary IR so we don't put this, where we feel like this anxiety of having to hit a timeline to be ready to go.'"
If the Rams had placed Stafford on IR, they would have missed their superstar quarterback for the first four games of the season at least.
Despite the back injury being such a big concern early on, Stafford put together a career season. He completed 65 percent of his pass attempts for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
There are still some concerns in Los Angeles about Stafford's health. Back injuries can be very tricky to navigate. Many times, they don't simply go away.
Even though there are concerns about Stafford, he seems to be in good shape right now. The Rams are going to enter the upcoming 2026 NFL season as one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the NFC.
Now 38 years old, the team knew that it needed to get a long-term option in place to prepare for life after Stafford. Los Angeles was able to do just that in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the No. 13 overall pick in the first round, the Rams selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
The young quarterback will not have to play in his rookie season, barring an injury to Stafford. Learning from the sideline and from a veteran quarterback like Stafford will be extremely valuable for Simpson.
All of that being said, the 2026 season is coming up quickly. For Stafford and Los Angeles, it is going to be a Super Bowl or bust kind of year.
