The Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford will have to come together to determine what the 2026 season will look like. That is, if there will even be one for the three-time Pro Bowler, 2025 First Team All-Pro, and potential MVP.
The expectation has remained that Stafford will play. He is under contract with the Rams in the final year of a two-year, $84 million contract.
However, Stafford’s latest comments made it clear just where he stands before the spring.
Matthew Stafford Gives Rams a Heads Up
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
Stafford is coming off his fifth season with the Rams. He led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns during the regular season.
Stafford also had a historically effective performance in the Rams’ NFC Championship Game.
Despite all of that positivity, Stafford is not committing to playing in 2026. He noted that there is “a lot that goes into” making such a decision. Stafford mentioned the emotional, mental, and physical toll that it takes on not just him, but also his family.
“When I’m ready to figure that out, I’ll be ready to figure that out. That moment isn’t right now,” Stafford told Jim Gray on the “Let’s Go!” podcast on January 26. “I have so much more time, I feel like, to reflect on just the people and the season that we just had. I want to appreciate that and give it the time that it deserves before I start thinking personally about what’s next for me and my family.”
Stafford declined to comment on his plans for 2026 immediately after the game, citing the newness of the result.
Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop noted in December 2025 that a “handshake deal” remains.
However, Stafford has made it clear that he has not yet made up his mind regarding his future. That is despite increasing speculation that he will indeed be back in blue and gold for the 2026 campaign.
Matthew Stafford Lost Sleep Over NFC Championship Game
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on after facing the Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game is part of the emotional toll for Stafford. Asked what he had “lost sleep” about in the aftermath, Stafford said he wished he had done more.
“Just things that I could have done better,” Stafford said, citing opportunities in the game both early and late, but crediting the Seahawks with making the plays needed to win.
“Were there plays that I could have made? Were there throws that I could have made? I just–I think about those moments, and that’s the emotional part that’s hard for me in the offseason, because inevitably there’ll be a time that I will think about that, and what I could have done better, and how I could have helped us win, and maybe move on. But I’ve played a lot of ball and learned to learn to deal with those things.”
Specifically, Stafford wished he could help a player like teammate Davante Adams.
Adams was emotional after the Rams’ loss to the Seahawks, having failed to reach his first Super Bowl in five trips to the NFC Championship Game. Stafford said Adams is “deserving” of a trip to the Super Bowl, and that he believed Sunday was their day.
“That’s the hardest part. As a quarterback, I feel like I’m responsible for so many guys on our team and so much of the success of our team. And you want to go win those games to give the people that haven’t experienced what you got to experience, you want to give them that. I wasn’t able to do it,” Stafford said. “That’s a tough pill for me to swallow.”
Stafford also noted that the loss affected his children. One of his four daughters approached him, crying and expressing empathy and support after the loss.
Matthew Stafford Picks Seahawks to Win Super Bowl
GettySam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates winning the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Stafford frequently praised the Seahawks for their role in eliminating the Rams. He said quarterback Sam Darnold “played great.” Stafford also noted his joy for former teammate Cooper Kupp, with whom he won a Super Bowl in 2021.
Moreover, Stafford believes the Seahawks will defeat the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
“I would imagine, not that we’re into making predictions, but my prediction would be that they’re going to win the game. I think they’ve been one of, if not the best, teams in football all season long, and played a grueling schedule, and have played it at a really high clip. So, tough pill to swallow, not getting there.
“Knowing that, sometimes just that’s the way sports are, and you got to have the courage to go out there and put yourself out there and live with the results.”
The Seahawks’ schedule could also be a point about the Patriots’.
Notably, that has been one of the talking points in the discussion about whether Stafford or Patriots quarterback Drake Maye should win MVP this year. The Rams star was still the favorite as of January 27, per Vegas Insider.
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