Speculation about Matthew Stafford’s future ramped up almost immediately after the Rams’ season ended Sunday night. A crushing 31–27 loss to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, the noise of retirement talk, and the weight of another near-miss combined into the familiar question that seems to follow veteran quarterbacks everywhere: What’s next?
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For Stafford, this one stung differently. It was the first time in his career that he reached the NFC Championship Game as a starter. Across the field was Sam Darnold, a quarterback whose own story had come full circle. Darnold had previously been part of a conference title run as a backup with the 49ers two years ago, but after seven turbulent seasons. He finally broke through as a starter.
In doing so, he became the first quarterback from the 2018 NFL Draft class, which included Baker Mayfield and MVPs Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, to win a conference championship as a starter. And yet, on this night, the story was still Stafford versus the moment.
The wrath of a city desperate to will its beloved Seahawks back to the Super Bowl rained down on Stafford from the opening snap. With the stakes impossibly high, the 12s were committed to making life hell for him. It was Stafford versus the howling crowd, conspiring alongside the league’s No. 1 defense.
Because of all the storylines Seattle feared most, it boiled down to this: their quarterback versus theirs. The MVP quarterback who lives for monumental moments versus the young journeyman still fighting to prove he belongs.
Of course, the conversation around Stafford drifted quickly and predictably toward retirement as the moment ended. Age, mileage, heartbreak. Another season ending six yards short of the Super Bowl. However, HC Sean McVay shut it down instantly.
“If he still wants to play, what the hell kind of question is that?” he replied at the post-game presser when asked about Stafford’s future.
"If he still wants to play, what the hell kind of question is that."
Sean McVay on if Matthew Stafford is returning next season 👀 pic.twitter.com/XNRyA4pkdE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 26, 2026
Stafford finished 22-of-35 for 374 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 350+ yards, 3+ TDs, and commit zero turnovers. And still lose a playoff start. That stat doesn’t suggest decline. It suggests cruelty. And it also sums up the season.
Stafford did everything possible. He elevated an offense powered by Puka Nacua (9 catches, 165 yards, TD), Davante Adams (89 yards, TD), and a balanced backfield and managed to throw 52 touchdowns. The Rams came up short anyway. Asked shortly after about the future, about next season, about what comes next, Stafford wasn’t dismissive. But he was clear.
“I can’t generalize six months of my life 10 minutes after a loss,” he said.
Stafford just finished one of the best seasons of his career. The Rams will retool through the draft and free agency. And if Stafford has anything to say about it, this isn’t how his story ends.
