Matthew Stafford's MVP award just complicated the chances of returning in 2026

This just in: The 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player is Los Angeles Rams starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Who says 37-year-old quarterbacks are too old? Certainly nobody in LA. After 17 NFL seasons and a lot of superhuman effort, the guy who propelled at least three different NFL wide receivers into the record books is finally recognized for the pure talent that he has possessed his entire NFL career.

Every professional athlete wants to go out on top. Thanks to the NFL Most Valuable Player honor, Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford can do exactly that. He deserved it. No quarterback in the league threw more touchdown passes. No one had a better touchdown-to-interception ratio.

But in terms of luring the girl-dad veteran back for what will be his 18th NFL season, things just got complicated.

If the goal is to add a second Super Bowl ring to the Stafford jewelry case, the job's not done. But who knows what the goal is after a season that may never have been. If the contract negotiations were not difficult enough, the team and player had to manage a disc injury that prevented the former Georgia Bulldog from participating in training camp.

The lack of chemistry with veteran wide receiver Davante Adams illustrated just how damaging Stafford's absence was.

LA Rams have to face a future without Matthew Stafford

The LA Rams veteran quarterback has to wonder what he can do for an encore. After all, the entire NFL is giving him a standing ovation. As much as it pains to admit it, now is about as dramatic a time to drop the curtain on a brilliant career as any.

Left tackle Andrew Whitworth won a Super Bowl and the NFL Walter Payton Man-of-the-Year award. Then he retired. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald won a Super Bowl, and then lingered long enough to ensure the team was back on track for success. Then, he too retired.

It's not that desire dissipates. The desire to compete in the NFL never truly wanes. But life has a way of surprising us. Before we know it, we find ourselves in middle age, raising children, and wondering where all the time went.

It's a balance of competing priorities. Sure, I can dabble in some psycho-babble about Mendel's hierarchy of needs, but why talk about something everyone faces every day of their lives? Ultimately, we all face difficult decisions about how to invest our time. So far, Matthew Stafford has chosen to compete at the highest level. And in 2025, he managed to surpass all others.

His time may not be over in the pocket just yet. But the alarm clock is certainly set. Getting Stafford back for 2026 just became more complicated. Keeping him beyond 2026 may have become improbable, if not impossible.

As always, thanks for reading.