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 he will be 38 next winter. So, how long can the veteran continue playing?
Sean McVay Reveals How Many More Years Matthew Stafford Can Play
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 age.
Stafford later admitted he “never really wanted to leave” Los Angeles, and it seems the two sides are taking it a year at a time. However, the Rams didn’t draft a QB in the 2025 NFL Draft, and head coach Sean McVay appears to be in no hurry to find Stafford’s successor.
Speaking during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Mad Dog Sports Radio,” McVay threw his support behind Stafford and said he hoped the veteran could play for a couple more years.
“We have a chance with him every time he’s at the switch, and love working with him. And I think he can play as long as he wants, but fortunately, I’m hoping it’s a couple more years,” McVay said about Stafford.
Stafford will enter his fifth year with the Rams, where he has produced many memorable moments, none bigger than leading the franchise 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, and McVay has complete trust in Stafford, whom he says has become closer to him during the contract negotiations.
“When you’re able to have real conversations with people you love and care about, you can go one of two ways. You can either get further apart or you can get closer. And there is no question in my mind that he and I are closer than ever,” McVay said about chats he had with Stafford before the veteran put pen to paper on his agreement.
“There’s a lot of appreciation, there’s a lot of gratitude that we were able to work through some of those things. … It doesn’t go lost on me how fortunate I am to be able to work with somebody as special as he is, both mentally, physically, and more importantly, what he means with how he moves as a man, and how he positively affects and influences his teammates and people he’s around.”
Stafford led the Rams to the playoffs last season despite suffering injuries. He ranked 22nd in PFSN’s QB+ metric, and while his 71.9 (C-) rating puts him behind the NFL elite, he remains a serviceable QB with the right pieces. However, a below-average season in 2025 could change McVay’s opinion that he will play for a couple more years for the Rams.