Matthew Stafford served as the franchise quarterback for the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2020, and even though he never took the Lions to the big game, or even the NFC Championship, he did have solid numbers during his time in Detroit.
One could call Stafford’s statistics MVP-worthy numbers, and now, as the franchise quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, Stafford was up for the 2026 NFL MVP at the NFL Honors event on Thursday, February 5. As it turns out, the event brought an even bigger announcement than MVP. It brought Stafford’s retirement decision.
The Rams are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, January 25, which ended with a 31-27 final score and no trip to the Super Bowl. Rams head coach McVay described the feeling as “pretty numb” after the game and said that “the finality of all of it when you don’t allow yourself to even think about anything other than just advancing, I felt like we were going to be the team on that podium and we weren’t.” He added, “You give Seattle the credit, but I love this group, and I’m never really short on words, and I am right now.”
Matthew Stafford Retirement Decision Announced at the MVP Award at the 2026 NFL Honors
So, did Stafford win MVP? He was up against Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence and Christian McCaffrey, so those were A-list competitors. Last season, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff was up for the honor, but not this year.
In the end, won, and it was glorious. What was so special about this announcement? Stafford actually announced at the end of receiving his award that he’s staying with the Los Angeles Rams for another season.
So, there you have it with the official Stafford retirement decision. What a dramatic way to announce that he’s coming back for another season, and we wouldn’t expect anything less from Stafford. We’re here for it.
The Most Valuable Player, of course, by definition, is “an accolade or award, originally used in team sports to recognize one player for game-changing excellence, and also used outside of sports to recognize excellence in the contributions of an individual to a group effort,” according to Dictionary.com.
They add that it’s, “the man or woman judged to be the outstanding player in a sport during a particular season or championship.”
Sean McVay Comments on Matthew Stafford Retirement Situation
Ahead of the ceremony, McVay already told reporters that he hopes Stafford comes back. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed like you guys that he still wants to go play,” McVay told reporters, according to a report from Greg Beacham of the Associated Press.
Beachcam also added the news that, “Sean McVay sounds pretty confident Matthew Stafford is coming back, but he’s letting the QB take his time.”
McVay was also asked if he would watch the Super Bowl this year. “I don’t know,” McVay said. “I might punish myself. That game the other day probably hurt more than any loss I’ve ever been a part of & it’s because of the love for the team. So, I don’t know that I’ll be tuning in for this one.”
Matthew Stafford Announces Retirement Decision in Dramatic Way