Matthew Stafford's new contract still leaves fans with a host of new questions

Faith by fans in the Los Angeles Rams and starting veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has finally paid off in an agreement for Stafford to return for the 2026 NFL season. Now that the big contract has been inked, the team is out of the woods. Or, are they? Well, in a manner of speaking, it depends on your perspective.

Even during his MVP acceptance speech, there was an undercurrent of more financial incentives to lure the girl-dad quarterback back to the Horns. Now, with the team and player agreeing to revisit the deal on a year-to-year basis, this is the new reality. Stafford may play for years to come, but only after LA sweetens the pot.

Still, this was not the answer to all Rams fans' questions. In many ways, this is simply the first step to a cascade of more questions that now pop into fans' minds. That's the reality of sticking with Stafford as the sun sets on his career. What does that mean?

Fans are left with plenty to ponder over Stafford's new contract

Okay, so why would a new contract generate new questions? Well, two reasons. For starters, Stafford is essentially on a one-year deal. And that is how these contracts will be structured going forward. That creates its own set of questions.

The second area of uncertainty is the depth chart for the quarterback position. Without veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, the LA Rams suddenly face a future with Stetson Bennett as the primary backup to Stafford. And with that sudden realization, an entirely new set of questions formed in fans' minds.

So, let's break down the biggest questions facing fans today:

Q1: How long can Matthew Stafford keep playing?

In theory, as long as he wishes to. But that is subject to how long he is effective. The Horns are prepared to take it a year at a time with Matthew Stafford. Still, that puts fans in the uncomfortable position of staring down one more year of Matthew Stafford.

But before fans shrug their shoulders, his MVP season likely places him on track to play until he is 40 years old.

Q2: What happens if Stafford is injured in 2026?

As of right now, Stetson Bennett stands to take over. Fans won't like it, but Bennett earned the right with some superb preseason play in 2025. And he has connected with many of the young receivers in this offense, including Puka Nacua.

Simultaneously, Ty Simpson will be working to compete for playing time If he develops ahead of schedule, he could leapfrog Bennett to become LA's primary backup quarterback.

Q3: Do Rams have a chance to repeat offensive success?

The MVP is back. And he leads the same offense that led the NFL in scoring points in 2025. That's no small feat. In many ways, the adjustments to last year's hiccups on offense has led the team to pivot to those successful strategies.

Best of all, Stafford is expected to participate in training camp.

Football is not just individual talent. It's a recipe of talent, work ethic, grit, communication, chemistry, cooperations, coordination, and a host of other ingredients. Much of what powered LA in 2025 was the result of successfully overcoming trials and tribulations.

Those fixes arrive on Day 1 of training camp this season.

The reality is that new adversity will hinder the team. But many of the same fundamental processing that found success in 2025 is still intact. The new roster offers plenty of promise. But there is plenty of success to build upon for 2026.

As always, thanks for reading.

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