Rams’ Matthew Stafford On Retirement: ‘I Enjoy Playing Too Much To Hang It Up’

The Los Angeles Rams are back in action this week after using the Week 10 bye to get themselves healthy and refreshed.

The Rams have dropped three consecutive games and are hoping to end that streak when they host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. The last time fans saw Los Angeles, they put up a rough performance against the Green Bay Packers on the road.

Brett Rypien was the starting quarterback against the Packers, but Sean McVay said that it’s likely Matthew Stafford makes his return. Stafford has been dealing with a UCL sprain in his thumb, but it sounds like the extra rest did him some good.

Stafford missing Week 9 was a mild surprise given that he’s known for playing through injuries. Those injuries eventually catch up with you though and Stafford is no spring chicken at 35 years of age. Despite rumors that his retirement is on the horizon, Stafford recently said that his plan is to continue playing, via The Pat McAfee Show:

“I don’t think I’ll go until the wheels completely fall off. They’re wobbling a little bit right now as we speak. I love playing this game, I love competing. I love being in the locker room. I’ll never get that again, so I get as many opportunities to do that as I can. I love this team, I love the city, it’s been a blast. Obviously had a lot of success in our first year and trying to duplicate that this year, next year, whenever it is. I enjoy playing too much to hang it up.”

There were plenty of rumors this past offseason about Stafford potentially retiring after suffering a spinal contusion that forced him to miss the end of the 2022 season. However, he rehabbed during the offseason and came into training camp healthy for the first time since coming to Los Angeles.

Stafford is under contract through 2026 and would be 38 years old by then, so it’s possible he plays out the length of his contract before he ends up retiring. There’s always the possibility that the Rams cut him before then, but for now it seems like the franchise is committed to Stafford as their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

Sean McVay explains decision to sign Carson Wentz

During the bye week, the Rams made a change to their quarterback room when they waived Rypien and signed Carson Wentz. Wentz went unsigned in the offseason, but now finds himself with a good opportunity to rehab his value in L.A.

McVay explained that they liked the experience Wentz has and considers him an upgrade at backup quarterback.