Matthew Stafford is entering the twilight of his storied NFL career after agreeing to a restructured contract with the Los Angeles Rams. Stafford is expected to be the starter in 2025, but both the Rams and his wife acknowledge the limitations of a 37-year-old.
Matthew Stafford’s Wife Details QB’s Physical Limitations
Stafford’s wife, Kelly, opened up about the QB’s struggles during an episode of her “The Morning After Media” podcast, admitting that age was catching up to him.
“First of all, he can’t get comfortable because his body is older than he is. So sitting for too long, standing for too long, moving for too long, it just tends to hurt,” she said.
The Rams managed to find a compromise that keeps Stafford on the West Coast for at least the next year. Still, the team’s unwillingness to offer him the deal he wanted suggests a lack of long-term faith, likely due to his declining physicality.
Sean McVay would no doubt love to keep Stafford around forever, but at 37, it’s almost inevitable that his time in Los Angeles is nearing its end, and the Rams could look for a successor in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Nevertheless, Kelly was elated to stay in Los Angeles for one more year. On a previous episode of her podcast, she shared her relief over Stafford’s decision after weeks of deliberation, saying, “Holy s***, am I so glad we’re here (in Los Angeles)…I went f****** mad, I went so crazy, but I will say Sean has always been such a good communicator in every aspect. I give him so much credit in that.”
Stafford will enter his fifth year with the Rams, where he has produced many memorable moments, none bigger than leading the Rams to their second Super Bowl victory in 2022.
The former Lions passer had a strong performance in their championship victory, throwing for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Since then, the Rams have yet to return to the Super Bowl but have shown signs of improvement.
Stafford and Rams 2024 Regular Season Numbers
Stafford’s regular-season performance was solid, helping the Rams reach the postseason despite injuries. In PFSN’s QB+ rankings, the former first-overall draft pick is ranked 22nd. His 71.9 (C-) rating puts him behind the NFL elite, but he remains a serviceable QB with the right pieces. Ben Rolfe discussed what made Stafford’s season slightly below par.
“Stafford finished the regular season with his second-worst full-season QB+ since 2019. Both of those bottom two have come in the last three years, raising question marks about whether his career is now trailing off to a point where he might be done.
“Stafford’s numbers have been mixed. He finished with a 0.07 EPA/DB but excelled from a clean pocket (0.31 EPA/DB; seventh) and struggled when pressured (-0.46 EPA/DB; 30th). He was also excellent in the fourth quarter when there was just one score separating teams (0.29 EPA/DB; sixth) but struggled on third downs (30.8% conversion rate (35th)).”
The Rams’ offense as a whole fared better than Stafford’s QB+ ranking. Their 11th-place positioning in PFSN’s offense+ rankings, with a 79.3 (C+) rating, reflects their strong run game, according to Sterling Xie.
With the 37-year-old set to return, it will be interesting to see if he can improve his QB+ ranking and help the Rams contend for the Lombardi Trophy.