Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams are on a two-game losing streak after suffering what head coach Sean McVay called a humbling defeat at the collective hands of the Atlanta Falcons on “Monday Night Football” in Week 17.
Stafford spoke candidly after the loss. He acknowledged that he did not play well in a performance negatively highlighted by 3 interceptions.
However, Stafford did rally the Rams to within a field goal with a historic effort.
Matthew Stafford Facing Career-Defining Decision
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on before facing the San Francisco 49ers.
Stafford and the Rams are pursuing another Super Bowl, but Father Time is unrelenting and coming for the three-time Pro Bowl QB. When it does, there is some uncertainty from Stafford about whether or not he will retire as a member of the Rams.
Stafford is a Ram now.
However, he was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2009 draft by the Detroit Lions, who traded him to the Rams in 2021.
Stafford has had more team success with the Rams. However, he has still spent less than half as much time with LA as he did in Detroit with the Lions (12 years). Stafford told Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop in comments made in November and published on December 31, “I don’t know.”
The point remains moot for now.
“I don’t think [my career is] done, No. 1,” Stafford said during the interview, per Bishop. “And I’m still in it.”
Stafford and the Rams have had to navigate uncertainty around his future for the past few offseasons. They explored trade options to gauge the 2011 Comeback Player of the Year’s value before ultimately agreeing on a re-worked, two-year contract worth up to $84 million last spring.
Stafford also hinted at playing in 2026 before this season began.
That could make for smoother discussions during the 2026 offseason. The Rams are expected to at least begin planning for Stafford’s retirement by finding an eventual replacement.
Armed with two first-round picks and cap space, the Rams could be in a position to make any number of draft or trade moves to make that happen. However, Stafford is playing well this season. Continuing to build around him will remain tempting for the Rams.
Matthew Stafford News Announced After Rams Game
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Stafford, 37, completed 57.9% of his passes for 269 yards, 2 TDs and those 3 picks in the Rams’ loss. The NFL’s passing TD leader, Stafford’s first scoring pass came in the third quarter.
When it did, Stafford climbed another rung in the record books for the Rams.
“Matthew Stafford set a new single-season franchise record for passing TDs (42) on Monday night, surpassing the previous mark he set in 2021 (41), which was tied with Kurt Warner (1999),” Los Angeles Rams PR posted on X on December 30.
The Rams celebrated on New Year’s Eve, posting “New franchise leader unlocked. [open padlock emoji].”
The mark is also a career high.
The Rams waited to celebrate the achievement. Perhaps that was in light of the disappointing loss to a Falcons team that was 6-9 on the season beforehand. Atlanta had won two in a row coming in. Still, Stafford added to his season and career resume.
“Matthew Stafford has thrown 2+ passing TDs in 10 consecutive games, tied for the 6th-longest streak in NFL history,” the PR team posted on X on December 31. “His 10-game streak is double the amount of games with 2+ passing TDs as the next closest players in 2025 (Drake Maye, Trevor Lawrence, Jacoby Brissett: 5-game streaks) (TruMedia)”
Stafford has a 4,448-42-8 line on 65.4% completion for the Rams this season. He also has a career-best 108.8 passer rating with one game to go in the regular season.
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