After toiling away with the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford changed his entire legacy when he made his way to the Los Angeles Rams. Since joining the franchise, he’s won a Super Bowl and a league MVP, and is consistently among the best quarterbacks in the sport.
However, the 38-year-old is also getting up there in age. As retirement rumors continue to circle the three-time Pro Bowler, general manager Les Snead believes he knows when the veteran quarterback will sail off into the sunset.
The Final Straw for Matthew Stafford
Last summer, Stafford’s future was a major question mark that was hanging over the entire Rams’ roster construction. Eventually, he chose to come back and put together his best season to date.
Finishing at number 6 on PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, he led the league in passing touchdowns with 46, while coughing up just eight interceptions. That helped Los Angeles have a virtually unstoppable offense, which carried them to the NFC Championship Game.
Keeping that philosophy intact, they made some major moves on the defensive end this offseason, adding two superstars in Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett via blockbuster trades.
Moreover, after accepting his MVP award, Stafford confirmed that he was coming back for more football, at least for the time being. But as his age continues to rise, and the Rams already have a contingency in the form of Ty Simpson, retirement might not be too far off.
Snead, who was the mastermind behind an electric offseason, appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” to explain the timeline with Stafford.
“We truly like to take it year to year, and I think it’s really for Matthew’s sake,” Snead said. “I know Matthew puts so much into playing this game that sometimes it’s daunting to think, ‘Oh, I have multiple years, and it’s better to just focus at the year, right? The year that we’re about to embark on. It’s interesting, every year that we’ve done this, probably 24 hours after the season, Matthew’s come right in and said, ‘Let’s do it again.'”
As a result, Snead has supreme confidence in Stafford’s ability and talent level on the field. However, there is one specific reason that he believes could ultimately cause the former first overall pick to call it a day.
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“He just has a special gift in that arm, in that wrist, all of that,” Snead added. “So, it’s not going to be the arm that finally, he says, ‘You know what? It may be time to hang him up.’ It’ll probably be the grit that’s required to play that position at an elite level. So, we’ll take it year by year, and I can say this: he’s not slowing down.”
In recent years, we’ve seen quarterbacks playing longer than ever before. Tom Brady played well into his 40s, and Aaron Rodgers has followed suit. So, the end could be a few years away for Stafford. But it isn’t something that has completely escaped the Rams’ attention.
