Now that the Los Angeles Rams’ season is over, rumors are floating around that starting quarterback Matthew Stafford may be considering retiring.
Stafford’s wife, Kelly Stafford, went viral with an Instagram post after the Rams’ loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, fueling those rumors even further.
Kelly Stafford Hints at Husband’s Retirement
After an exciting push to the playoffs and a Wild Card win, the Rams fell short in the NFC Divisional Round to the Philadelphia Eagles after a late drive in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter came up dry among the falling snow at Lincoln Financial Field.
With the Rams heading into the 2025 offseason, there are many questions about the team’s direction, most notably whether the Rams QB wants to suit up for another year. However, his wife’s post on Instagram seems to make the decision much murkier than expected as the family contemplates Year 17 in the NFL.
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“I could never get tired of watching you out there or watching our girls cheer for their daddy,” Kelly Stafford said. “I’m wondering if this is the end or not…guess we will find out.”
It’s not unusual for someone who has been in the league as long as Matthew Stafford to think about retiring from the game.
Stafford is 36, soon to be 37, and he has sustained a few more injuries the past few seasons than early on in his career. Stafford had a season grade of 71.8 (C-) in 2024, 22nd-best in the NFL according to PFN’s QB+ metric.
One of Stafford’s biggest areas of concern is his age and lack of mobility. When he was pressured, Stafford averaged -0.46 EPA per dropback, ranking 28th out of 36 players. He was still effective when kept clean, ranking seventh in EPA per dropback (0.31). However, that means that Stafford suffered the third-largest decline in EPA per dropback when pressured, behind only Joe Flacco and Jalen Hurts.
Also, his production has gone down over the past few years.
Stafford’s production since the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning season has mostly hovered around league average. From 2022-24, he ranks 16th in EPA per dropback (0.06) and 12th in success rate (48%). Even if you just look at the last two seasons to exclude his injury-shortened 2022 season, Stafford ranks 13th in EPA per dropback (0.09) and 13th in success rate (48.3%) from 2023-24.
Matthew Stafford Avoids Retirement Questions
When asked if he was going to retire, Stafford avoided the question, responding, “I’ll talk about my present. Obviously, proud to be associated with this group, coaching staff, front office, group of players, training staff, equipment guys, and everybody. It was a hell of an effort all year to get to this point.”
He then added, “As far as my future goes, I mean, it’s 30 minutes after our last game, so I’ll take some time to think about it. I feel like I was playing some really good ball.”
It’s probably smart of Stafford not to make such an emotional decision after a loss, and he should give himself some time to think about what he wants to do next.
This team was just a few yards away from returning to the NFC Championship Game, and that has to weigh heavily on Stafford’s decision as well. It will be interesting to see what Stafford’s final decision may be.
