Rams HC Sean McVay on Matthew Stafford: ‘He can play as long as he wants’

How much longer will 37-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford be at the wheel for the Los Angeles Rams? According to head coach Sean McVay, the veteran has plenty left in the tank.

“We have a chance with him every time he’s at the switch, and [I] love working with him. I think he can play as long as he wants, but fortunately, I’m hoping it’s a couple more years,” McVay said about Stafford’s future in an interview with Mad Dog Sports Radio on Thursday.

Stafford and the Rams dealt with a contract dispute earlier this offseason, during which the veteran discussed contract parameters with teams interested in trading for and subsequently extending him, including the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants. In the end, though, the Rams gave Stafford a roughly $17 million increase for the 2025 NFL season, which brings his salary to $46.5 million and makes him 11th among quarterbacks in average annual pay, according to Over The Cap. He has two more seasons remaining on his contract.

Stafford and the Rams are coming off a 10-7 record and an NFC West title. In the postseason, they beat the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round. The Rams gave the eventual Super Bowl-champion Eagles their closest game of the postseason, as Philadelphia prevailed 28-22 at home in the snow.

Across 16 regular-season starts, Stafford totaled 3,762 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 93.7 passer rating, while completing 65.8% of his passes. In the postseason, he totaled 533 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 105.0 passer rating, while completing 63.4% of his passes. On the other hand, Stafford ranked 25th among quarterbacks with a 74.7 overall grade and 28th with a 72.4 passing grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

McVay, who said that he and Stafford “are closer than ever,” still has the utmost confidence in his starting quarterback.

Did Matthew Stafford make the right call staying with the Rams?

“I think he came out of this season feeling really good physically,” McVay said of Stafford. “And one of the things that I think is a tremendous credit to him, you look at the playoff games that he’s played in with us, [including] the four his first year where he goes 4-0, leads us to a Super Bowl. [Then] you go to the ’23 season, he did everything in his power to try to will us to a victory against an excellent Detroit football team in ’23. And then this past year, he balls [out] against Minnesota, and he does his thing against Philadelphia.”

Stafford, a two-time Pro Bowler, has spent the past four seasons with the Rams (2021-24), highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl LVI in his first season with the franchise (2021). He’s sixth in Rams history with 14,700 passing yards and eighth with 95 passing touchdowns. The Rams have made the playoffs in three of Stafford’s four seasons with the team.

As for Stafford’s potential successor, the Rams didn’t select a quarterback in the NFL Draft for a second consecutive year. Instead, they re-signed veteran Jimmy Garoppolo to a one-year deal and also have 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett under contract. After trading out of pick No. 26 and corralling pick No. 46 and a 2026 first-rounder from the Atlanta Falcons as part of the swap, the Rams had two selections on Day 2 of the 2025 draft. They selected Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson at pick No. 46 and Michigan defensive end Josaiah Stewart at No. 90.

McVay is entering his ninth season as head coach. He has a 80-52 record in the regular season and is 8-5 in the postseason.

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