Rams QB Matthew Stafford Won’t Commit To Keep Playing After Loss To Seahawks

Matthew Stafford is coming off a career year, but still faces questions about a possible retirement.

His Los Angeles Rams lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the conference championship game. Stafford was asked about his future with the team after the game, but he refused to comment. 

“I can’t generalize six months of my life 10 minutes after a loss,” Stafford said.

Stafford is still under contract for the 2026 season. If he retires after this season, he’d leave $40 million on the table. 

Stafford is coming off a season where he threw 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions. This earned him his third Pro Bowl appearance. 

In the playoffs, he threw six touchdowns and one interception. He threw three touchdowns against the Panthers and three touchdowns against the Seahawks. Despite his struggles in the divisional round against the Bears, the Rams still advanced.

In theory, it makes almost no sense for Stafford to retire. He’s playing some of his best football ever, he’s on one of the best rosters in football, and he’d lose out on a lot of money if he didn’t play next season.

The only reason he’d consider retirement is if he just didn’t want to go through the physical and mental grind again. Getting yourself into NFL-level shape is difficult. Not to mention all the hits a quarterback takes during the season.

Stafford was sacked 23 times last season. That only ranks 23rd in the NFL, but those hits add up. This, of course, doesn’t even count all the time he takes a hit while throwing. 

Stafford and Puka Nakua helped lead the Rams to the best offense during the regular season. They also had a top-10 defense, thanks to Jared Verse and Byron Young. 

Overall, it seems like Stafford will likely play at least one more season; it’s just a matter of when he makes it official.