Matthew Stafford shouldn’t play again in 2022. But what of 2023?

LA Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been officially ruled out for this Week 12 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a neck injury. He was also placed back into the NFL concussion protocol for re-evaluation. Stafford was out two weeks ago when the Rams lost 27-17 to their NFC West Division rival, the Arizona Cardinals,  due to not having cleared the NFL concussion protocol. Later that week, he passed concussion protocol, was active, and started against the Saints in New Orleans.

Stafford had a productive game after going 11-18 with 159 passing yards and two touchdowns. He saw the field well and showed off his arm with a 62-yard passing TD to LA Rams WR TuTu Atwell in the first quarter to put the Rams up 7-3. He also threw a 6-yard TD pass to WR Allen Robinson just before halftime to give the Rams the lead going into the break, 14-10. Unfortunately, his day didn’t last long, as he got taken out of the game early in the third quarter due to a head and neck injury.

LA Rams backup quarterback Bryce Perkins came into relief for Stafford and the Rams, but it wasn’t good enough as Saints quarterback Andy Dalton and the Saints went on to win 27-20. This is Stafford’s second straight week going into concussion protocol, and now he and the Rams have to worry about his health as the Quarterback for the Rams and his health as a father and husband.

Not worth Playing Stafford

This season has been an utter failure for the reigning, defending Super Bowl champions. The Rams enter this week being 3-7 on the year, and with going into Kansas City for week 12, they are probably staring 3-8 right in the face. This season is all but over and with injuries happening left and right for the Rams with Rams WR Cooper Kupp recently and now Matthew Stafford, there is no point if having Stafford come back at all this year, even if he is cleared to play.

The Rams are not in the playoff hunt, so what would be the point of having Stafford come back and risk more injury? With Stafford being in there, it obviously gives them the best chance to win, but it’s not worth having a few more meaningless wins coming down the stretch. Also, the Detroit Lions, thanks to the trade that moved Stafford to the Rams, have the Rams’ first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.  That pick is already projected among the Top-10 of the draft and could end up as a Top-5 selection.

Will Stafford retire?

There have been rumors swirling that Matthew Stafford may be contemplating retirement. The 34-year-old quarterback has had a great career with both the Detroit Lions and the LA Rams. However, he has always wanted to be part of a winner, and in his first year in LA, he did that by helping the Rams get to the promised land and winning Super Bowl LVI.

He has accomplished a lot in his career, and now with back-to-back weeks in concussion protocol, he might look at his life as a whole and his future. Ian Rapoport was on the Pat McAfee show and discussed Stafford’s future(seen below).

NFL Network’s NFL Insider Ian Rapoport stated he thinks Stafford will be back, but it’s not out of the question that he might think about retirement. After all, Stafford is a husband and a father of four kids. He is a proud family man, and with these two concussions in the last two weeks, it is something for Stafford and his family to think about. That has significant implications, as whatever decision Matthew Stafford makes about his NFL career also changes how the Rams must plan for the quarterback position in the future.