Matthew Stafford is returning to the Los Angeles Rams for a sixth season, and the NFL for an 18th campaign, following his announcement during his MVP acceptance speech at the 2026 NFL Honors.
But he received a powerful message before that happened.
Stafford set a new benchmark for himself on the field this past season, but his greatest work is being done off of it.
Matthew Stafford Gets Strong Words Before Rams News
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before a game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Stafford led the league in passing yards and touchdowns during the regular season, leading to his MVP win. However, well before he took the stage to receive the award, Stafford was led to an otherwise innocuous room in the Rams’ facilities.
In that room, he watched a video.
That video was of his four daughters, praising their “Most Valuable Dad,” including the fact that “he does no lookers.”
The Rams shared the video on X on February 5, noting that it was a “special message from the MVP’s biggest fans. [hug emoji],” but it quickly drew attention and continued to do so well into the following day.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport called it “The best thing you’ll see all day.”
“Sobbing (but also, how cool is it that his kids know about the no-look passes),” TheRams.com’s Stu Jackson posted in reaction to the video.
NFL Shares New Video Featuring Stafford Family
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams meets with his children on the sideline before the NFC championship game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Stafford, wife Kelly, and their daughters drew plenty of attention as they showed up in their coordinated attire, the kids’ dresses all matching. The attention continued after the QB’s award victory.
The NFL shared another video of the QB with his daughters after the win.
They captioned it by saying, “Matthew Stafford is an MVP, but he’s always been a dad first. [blue heart emoji].”
Stafford was clear that his family would weigh heavily in his decision to return or retire, making his announcement with them by his side (and in the audience, in Kelly’s case) a fitting way to punctuate it.
Matthew Stafford Gets Honest About Decision
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Stafford initially made it clear he would take time before announcing his decision, offering no clues publicly that the Honors ceremony would be the right moment.
“I figured, ‘Shoot, I don’t really do the social media thing,” Stafford said about announcing his decision when he did, per the LA Times’ Gary Klein. “This will be an easier way to let everyone know how I’m feeling.”
Stafford previously said that he would try to make his decision on 2026 quicker than 2025.
“We’ll figure it out faster next year if we get to that point,” Stafford said on “The Morning After” podcast in March 2025.
He did that, giving the Rams time to plan their offseason moves around having him in the fold, and with his $40 million salary set to become guaranteed on March 15. Re-working Stafford’s two-year, $84 million contract could be a logical next step for the Rams.
Rams general manager Les Snead is committed to going all-in to build around Stafford.
“Let’s definitely make the most of the time we have with Matthew,” Snead told reporters on February 4. “The type of season he had, the type of season that he’s still showing that he can have, there’s only so many of those left. So, those are some moments that you want to take advantage of, for sure.”
Rams’ Matthew Stafford Gets ‘Special Message’ Amid Major News