Last offseason, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams were in a long contract standoff. There was a possibility that Stafford would be traded and finish his career elsewhere, although cooler heads ultimately prevailed as he agreed to a contract to return for the 2025 season.
That wound up being a great decision for all parties as Stafford turned in the best season of his career at age 37, winning the NFL MVP award while leading the Rams to the No. 1 offense in the league in the process.
Heading into this offseason, Stafford wasted no time announcing that he would be returning to the Rams for another season. While it remains to be seen how many years he has left, it appears the 2026 season may not be his last as he is deep in extension talks with the Rams, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
Sources: The #Rams and MVP QB Matthew Stafford have made significant progress on a new extension that should put Stafford in the building for the 2026 offseason.
A deal is not done for Stafford, whose contract runs through 2026, but Sean McVay said earlier this year he believes… pic.twitter.com/K5sfCjTRnh
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 20, 2026
Stafford led the NFL by throwing for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns with just eight interceptions while leading the Rams to a 12-5 record and a trip to the NFC Championship Game.
While MVP is the biggest award in the NFL, Stafford took home a lot of hardware for his season as he earned Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro selections while also being named the PFWA and PFF MVP.
Even at age 38, Stafford remains one of the best quarterbacks in the league and clearly feels he has some good years left in him. Unlike last offseason, it is nice to see that extension talks are going well and things likely won’t drag on into training camp. Even if an extension ultimately isn’t agreed to though, Stafford is under contract for the 2026 season.
Sean McVay wouldn’t be surprised if Matthew Stafford plays beyond 2026
These contract extension talks fall in line with recent comments from Sean McVay as he said he wouldn’t be surprised if Stafford has multiple seasons left in him.
“He’s gonna be able to play as long as he’s able to, whether that’s one, two more, who knows, he might be one of those guys that plays late into his 40s,” McVay recently said of his quarterback.
