Rams giving Matthew Stafford every reason to stick around for a while

Last season, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford arguably stitched together the best performance of his 17-year career. MVP voters certainly thought so. The team rewarded him for that jaw-dropping performance by drafting promising Alabama QB Ty Simpson.

Not very motivating, is it?

Well, push a pin in that thought. After all, LA did its part by re-incentivizing Stafford to return in 2026. And Stafford's healthy presence in training camp suggests that the offense can leverage last season's top-scoring performance into even better results.

Still, it's what the team accomplished in defensive upgrades this offseason that has given its girl-dad quarterback irresistible reasons to stick around for a while, perhaps through 2027. Maybe even beyond. Pulling off blockbuster trades for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett will do that.

Matthew Stafford loves playing for the Rams

It's obvious from his comments that Stafford loves playing for the LA Rams. And why shouldn't he? He spent 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, finishing with a record of 74-90-1 and a postseason record of 0-3. He turned things around in just five seasons in Los Angeles, winning 46 of 74 games and putting up a 7-3 mark in the playoffs. That includes, of course, a Super Bowl.

Elite athletes gravitate towards teams that remain competitive. Stafford made some telling comments after agreeing to his reworked contract, which includes a one-year, $55 million extension: Here's what he told Rams beat writer Adam Grosbard of LA Daily News:

"I'm not going to sit here and try to predict the future. That would probably be a yes ... I don't know what's going to happen. I do love playing here. I love playing for this organization and my family loves it here."

Days later, he discovered that Garrett, the 2025 Defensive of the Player of the Year, is his teammate. All the more reason to make that "yes" a bit more definite.

How good does Stafford have it this season?

The reigning NFL MVP has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about 2026. Why? Well, let's run down some fun facts:

On OFFENSE:

1. He is throwing to the receiver who led the league last season in receptions (129) and yards per game (107.2). Puka Nacua is a blessing.

2. He is throwing to the receiver who led the league in touchdown catches (14) despite playing only 14 games. Davante Adams is a gift in the red zone.

3. He is handing off to one of the NFL's best backfield tandems in Kyren Williams (1,252 rushing yards, sixth-most in the league) and Blake Corum (746 rushing yards on 5.1 per carry).

4. He is throwing to a tight end room that surged to 17 receiving touchdowns and over 1,100 yards last season.

5. Sean McVay, the quarterback whisperer, is still his head coach.

On DEFENSE:

1. He gets to watch the two-time DPOY, Myles Garrett, sack opposing quarterbacks, which he did a record-setting 23 times in 2025.

2. He also gets to watch outside linebacker Byron Young do the same. His 12 sacks last season led the Rams and ranked eighth in the league.

3. The secondary will be drastically improved with the arrivals of cornerbacks McDuffie, a two-time All-Pro, and Jaylen Watson.

No offense scored more points last year. Snead has now upgraded the defense with a pair of blockbuster swings and a major free-agent signing in Watson.

McVay has stated that the starting job is Stafford's as long as he wants it. It's still possible that No. 9 hangs it up a year from now. But after this offseason, Stafford may want to stick around a lot longer than that.

As always, thanks for reading.

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