Despite a concerning back injury that sidelined him for most of training camp and preseason, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford rehabbed enough to be available for Week 1 of the 2025 season.
Not only did Stafford look completely healthy on the field, he wound up turning in arguably the best season of his career. Stafford threw for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns while only throwing eight interceptions in the regular season, a masterful showing of his command of Rams head coach Sean McVay’s offense.
While Stafford and the Rams fell just short of beating the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, the team is still in a great position to make another Super Bowl run next season. However, the 37-year-old acknowledged he’ll take some time to think about his playing future so there’s no guarantee he’ll return to Los Angeles.
General manager Les Snead appreciated what he saw from Stafford and said that he and the Rams would make it a priority to maximize the roster if the star quarterback suits up in 2026 for L.A., via Adam Grosbard of the Southern California News Group:
Rams GM Les Snead: "If Matthew [Stafford] decides to come back, there will be an element … let's definitely make the most of the time we have with Matthew. The type of season that he showed he had, there's only so many of those left"
— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) February 4, 2026
There’s reason to believe that Stafford has enough gas left in the tank for a championship run, so it makes complete sense why Snead and company would be aggressive upgrading the roster. The Rams are well-equipped to retool as they own two first round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft and have ample cap space to sign free agents.
Offensively, Los Angeles could use another receiver behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. They might also look toward the offensive line as Rob Havenstein is also mulling retirement.
Defensively, the secondary needs a revamp as it was consistently burned through the air for chunk gains. Another edge rusher in the rotation would also be a big boost as well because Jared Verse and Byron Young were typically the only two who could get consistent pressure on the quarterback.
There are pathways to making the Rams roster better, though everything hinges on Stafford’s decision.
Sean McVay obviously wants Matthew Stafford to return to Rams
Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford are arguably the best head coach-quarterback duo in the league, so it feels like the two left some meat on the bone this past year. While Stafford is undecided about playing, McVay expressed he obviously wants him back with the Rams.
