A heartbroken Sean McVay shares unlimited support for this veteran at the podium

The long and winding road that the Los Angeles Rams traveled throughout the 2024 NFL season is over. A team that began with a disappointing record of 1-4 advanced as far as the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs before losing and ending their season. Now, the Rams must simultaneously pack their bags while pivoting to the 2025 NFL season.

That season may or may not include veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.

In a game that was set up perfectly for one of Stafford's game winning drives, the Rams veteran popped the clutch. In a game with everything pointing to a fourth-quarter comeback, Matthew Stafford was unable to lead the team to victory. No, it wasn't all upon Stafford. But if you've tracked the late-game heroics of the guy, you would find it impossible to see the outcome of the game any other way.

Even LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay was caught up in the moment, believing that his veteran quarterback would pull off another miraculous come-from-behind victory. After all, the Rams were down by a score of 28-22 with 1:14 remaining in the game with third down and two yards to go at the Philadelphia Eagles 13-yard line. Stafford had two receivers open. He did not throw to either receiver. He did not even throw the football out of bounds.

He took a sack.

That sack pushed the Rams to the Eagles 22-yard line. It put the Rams into an all-or-nothing corner with fourth down and 11 yards to go. The Rams got nothing.

But this was a tough game for passing. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts passed 15 of 20 for 128 yards and was sacked seven times for 63 yards. The Philadelphia Eagles net passing offense for the game was just 65 yards.

LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford, a fair-weather quarterback, completed 26 of 44 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked five times for 33 yards, yielding a net passing game of 291 yards. But when he had time to make his throws, they were things of beauty:

At one point in the game, the Rams held a one point lead. At another point in the game, the Rams trailed by 13 points. That was the type of game it was. And all the time, snow kept falling.

Both Stafford and RB Kyren Williams fumbled the ball away.

Now, in the aftermath of one of the most thrilling games in NFL history, the LA Rams and veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford must decide their future.

Rams HC Sean McVay casts his vote

When the LA Rams lost the Divisional Round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs to the Green Bay Packers, Rams HC Sean McVay was livid. The Rams lost the game by a score of 31-19, but McVay publicly let his thoughts and feelings about then starting quarterback Jared Goff be known. He declared an open competition at all positions, a dart thrown directly at Goff.

Weeks later, the Rams would trade Goff and three valuable draft picks to the Detroit Lions for the rights to veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford has played and started for the LA Rams ever since (barring injuries). So the first question after the game was, how would Coach McVay see the game, and Stafford's future with the team?

Would he view Stafford as the reason for the heartbreaking loss? Or would he see a bright future with Stafford?

With that one statement, you can tick Coach McVay as a strong supporter of Matthew Stafford going forward. It was no surprise either. As much as McVay details every play of his offense, he fully understands that in the heat of battle, there is a need for improvisation. He cannot anticipate the myriad of nuances on the football field.

He needs a Stafford-like quarterback to run the thing in real time.

But we would be remiss if we did not point out that Stafford struggled at times in 2024. Despite fielding the most expensive offense in the NFL, the Rams offense clocked in as the 20th-ranked offense in terms of points scored. If you remove points scored by the defense, the offense drops even further.

The future of the LA Rams is a bit foggy right now, as is the future of veteran QB Matthew Stafford. Stafford wants to play football. Rams HC Sean McVay loves Stafford under center. And it's obvious that the Rams are a young and improving team. On paper, Stafford is under contract to play for the Rams through 2026.

But there is the matter of exhausted guaranteed salary. And beyond that, what is the fair market value of a soon-to-be 37-year-old NFL quarterback with diminishing productivity? Matthew Stafford has plenty of football left in him. The thing is, what is that worth?

And thus begins the dramatic 2025 offseason for the Los Angeles Rams. As always, thanks for reading.

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