Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has elected to stay with the Los Angeles Rams, restructuring his contract to remain with the squad for at least one more season. Following his decision, fans and media took to the internet to share their reactions, including Stafford’s wife, Kelly.
Wife of Matthew Stafford, Kelly, Reveals Thoughts on Staying in Los Angeles
Kelly took to her podcast “The Morning After Media,” where she sat down with Matthew to discuss his restructured deal with the Rams.
When talking about the process Stafford went through to land back with Los Angeles, Kelly spoke to how prolonged the deal felt on her end. Kelly relates the situation to Stafford and his departure from Detroit, saying how she knew it was a deal the two-time Pro Bowl QB wanted.
While the negotiations only took roughly three weeks, Matthew and Kelly said it felt much longer.
“Obviously, you’ve been traded before, but that was a trade you wanted, a trade that you asked for,” said Kelly. “Whenever we have each other, we’re good, as long as we have each other. With that said, holy s***, am I so glad we’re here.”
Kelly followed up, expressing she was aware Matthew wanted to remain in Los Angeles despite the deal, feeling as if it took three months.
“I communicated with Sean (McVay) throughout the entire process,” Matthew said when asked about his communication with the Rams. “Obviously a bit of a unique situation, but I know he wanted me to end up here, and I wanted to end up here.”
Matthew spoke regarding this part of the NFL offseason being somewhat of a dry-spell other than the NFL combine. The lack of things going on pushed the Stafford drama to the forefront, he believes.
“Three weeks of that uncertainty is never fun,” Matthew said. “Whether that’s in a job or life or whatever it is, you gotta find things to occupy your time.”
The one-time Super Bowl champion took to the links, where he would golf as well as work out for some simple remedies to ease his mind during the chaos.
For Kelly, staying as calm as Matthew during the journey was not as easy.
“I went f****** mad,” said Kelly. “I went so crazy, but I will say Sean has always been such a good communicator in every aspect. I give him so much credit in that.”
Stafford’s Play With Rams Since Arrival
Although many thought the 16-year pro could be on the move again, he is staying put where he claimed the ultimate prize. Stafford will enter his fifth year with the Rams, where he has already produced a plethora of jaw-dropping moments.
No moment was bigger than when he led the Rams to their second Super Bowl victory in 2022.
The former Lion had a strong performance in their championship victory, throwing for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Since then, the Rams have yet to make it back to the big game but have shown strong signs of returning soon.
The 2024-25 season ended for Los Angeles when they fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion, the Philadelphia Eagles, in the divisional round. Losing by just six points and defeating the best wild card team ever (Minnesota Vikings) point to this season being a success for Stafford and the Rams.
Stafford and Rams 2024 Regular Season Numbers
Stafford’s regular-season performance by no means jumps off the page. However, he did enough while the Rams battled injuries to get them to the postseason. In PFSN’s QB+ rankings, the former first-overall draft pick comes in at 22nd. His 71.9 (C-) puts him behind the NFL elite, but he still looks to be a serviceable QB with the right pieces. Ben Rolfe discusses what made Stafford’s season slightly below par.
“Stafford finished the regular season with his second-worst full-season QB+ since 2019. Both of those bottom two have come in the last three years, raising question marks about whether his career is now trailing off to a point where he might be done.
“Stafford’s numbers have been a mix across the board. He finished with a 0.07 EPA/DB but excelled from a clean pocket (0.31 EPA/DB; seventh) and struggled when pressured (-0.46 EPA/DB; 30th). He was also excellent in the fourth quarter when there was just one score separating teams (0.29 EPA/DB; sixth) but struggled on third downs (30.8% conversion rate (35th).”
The Rams offense as a whole faired much better than Stafford’s QB+ positioning. Just outside the top-ten, their 11th place positioning in PFSN’s offense+ rankings comes with their elite run-game. Sterling Xie has them at a 79.3 (C+) rating, earning the rest of the offense their flowers.
With the 37-year-old set to return, it will be interesting to see if he can revive his QB+ ranking and get the Rams back into the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.