The Los Angeles Rams aren’t sneaking up on anyone this year. After a surprise playoff push in 2024 and a strong offseason showing, the spotlight is back on Sean McVay’s team. Expectations are shifting — fast. Some believe the Rams have the pieces to make another Super Bowl run, especially after adding veteran Davante Adams during free agency. But with Matthew Stafford nearing the twilight of his career, there are as many questions about the future as there are about the present.
L.A. Rams QB Matthew Stafford Stays Grounded Amid Super Bowl Buzz
Stafford, now heading into his 17th NFL season, isn’t rattled by the pressure. During an appearance on the NFL Network’s schedule release special, the veteran quarterback spoke candidly about his mindset heading into 2025. He didn’t promise anything, but he didn’t dodge anything either. He did offer the kind of veteran perspective that became his calling card in L.A.
“I feel good. I mean, you got to go out there and prove it. That’s the biggest thing,” Stafford said when asked about the team’s Super Bowl expectations. “At the beginning of ‘21, if I would have told you we were in the Super Bowl, that wasn’t the top of mind for me. It was let’s go out there and find ways to get better throughout the season.”
That 2021 season, of course, ended with the Rams hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 56, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals. But Stafford’s point tracks: The roster changed dramatically over the course of that campaign. It’s something he believes this team must be ready for again — adaptability over assumptions.
From roster moves to Super Bowl expectations…
Matthew Stafford joins NFL Schedule Release to discuss his excitement for the @RamsNFL ’25 schedule 👏 pic.twitter.com/v3dSSEHIsR
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork)
“Who we started the season with in our opening lineup and who we won the Super Bowl with was a different group of guys … in a lot of instances,” he added. “We gotta find ways to continue to get better throughout the season.”
That improvement mindset will be tested early. The Rams made a significant draft-day move by trading their 2025 first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for multiple future assets, including a 2026 first-rounder. That trade could help position them for life after Stafford, who turns 38 next year and has flirted with retirement in recent offseasons. With big-name college quarterbacks like Arch Manning and Drew Allar projected to enter the 2026 draft, the franchise is clearly thinking ahead.
Still, Stafford is focused on now. “I am excited about where we left off last year and feel good about moving forward with the group of guys that we have — and then the guys that we just added recently in the draft as well,” he said.
Those additions include Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson and Michigan pass rusher Josaiah Stewart, two players the Rams hope can contribute immediately. Whether that’s enough to fuel another deep playoff run remains to be seen. But with Stafford at the helm, the Rams aren’t shying away from expectations — they’re embracing them.