Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford gave his all on the field in the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, but it still wasn’t enough. Stafford completed 22 of 35 passes for 374 yards and 3 touchdowns in the game, yet the Rams’ defense couldn’t stop Seattle as they got handed a heartbreaking 31-27 loss. With that, the Rams’ season is officially over. After the game, the focus quickly shifted to Stafford’s future with the team, but the veteran QB did not offer any clarity while confirming his retirement stance.

“Can’t generalise six months in my life 10 minutes after a loss,” Matthew Stafford said in the presser after the game. “So, appreciate the guys in this locker room. It was a whole helluva lot. Everybody that helped me and helped our team be as successful as we were this year. That’s all I’ll answer for you.”

Matthew Stafford just wrapped up his 17th NFL season and is still processing the NFC title loss. But he will turn 38 in the first week of February. He’s also coming off the first year of a two-year, $84 million contract he signed with the Rams in February last year. Stafford is due $40 million next season, the final year of that deal. Still, when asked about coming back for an 18th season with the Rams, he kept his answers short and guarded.

Interestingly, this uncertainty surrounding the Rams’ QB did not come out of nowhere. Hours before the Rams vs Seahawks game, Stafford’s retirement stance had been revealed. During a GameDay segment on January 24, NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared what he had been hearing about Stafford’s mindset regarding the next stage of his career in the NFL.

“He [Stafford] is going to be 38 years old next month, playing at an MVP level,” Rapoport said. “But of course, given his age, you have to wonder what comes next for Matthew Stafford. My understanding is that Stafford has told people close to him that he believes he still has good football left, and no matter what, he wants to be back next year.”

Ian Rapoport also mentioned that the veteran QB told people about returning next season before the Rams’ deep playoff run. But Matthew Stafford seemed to reinforce that belief just last week, when he led the Rams to a 20-17 win over the Chicago Bears with a game-winning drive in overtime and pushed his team into the NFC Championship Game. 

Then, in the NFC title clash against Seattle, Matthew Stafford made three touchdown passes, which tied a career high for him in a playoff game. But as Stafford’s final drive in the game also ended with Seattle’s No. 1-ranked defense breaking up his third and fourth down attempts. As the Rams could not get any points in that final trip to the red zone, the Seahawks came out on top.

After the game, Stafford admitted the loss was a “tough pill to swallow at the moment.”

Yet, if this really were the end of Matthew Stafford’s career, what a way to go out. Stafford just finished the best season of his career while leading the league inpassing touchdowns (46) and passing yards (4,707). He even wrapped up the 2025 regular season as the favorite to win MVP. Even so, his non-committal tone has left uncertainty about the Rams’ Super Bowl hopes for next season. So naturally, reporters turned to head coach Sean McVay for answers.

What did Sean McVay say on Matthew Stafford’s future with the Rams?

Since being traded from the Detroit Lions in 2021, Matthew Stafford has transformed his career with the Rams. In his first season, Stafford delivered a Super Bowl title, then took the Rams back to the playoffs twice more, including this season. But over the past two seasons, whispers about a possible retirement have followed Stafford around the league. Sunday’s NFC title loss only intensified those questions, and reporters didn’t hesitate to press McVay for more clarity on the QB’s future.

“Yeah, I mean if he [Stafford] still wants to play,” McVay said in the post-game presser. “What the hell kind of question is that? The answer is yeah. You’ll have to ask him. We’ve been totally present, I know that if he wants to – he’s still playing at a pretty damn good clip. I mean, he’s the MVP of the league. And if he’s not, I’ve got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level that’s just different.”

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McVay clearly didn’t appreciate the questions revolving around Matthew Stafford’s retirement plans. But the HC also made it clear that if Stafford wants to keep playing, the Rams want him back as their starter. But Stafford has now thrown for 64,516 yards, taken 525 sacks in his 17-year veteran career in the league. He also dealt with serious back issues before the 2025 season even began. 

So, while McVay’s irate reaction to probing questions on his QB’s future is reassuring, it also makes you wonder if there’s more going on behind the scenes. It’s not clear whether Stafford is ready to walk away while he’s still playing at an MVP level. But if this season proved anything, it’s that Stafford can still play at a level most quarterbacks only dream of. The only question now is whether he wants to do it all over again in pursuit of another Super Bowl glory.