Sean McVay opens up about Matthew Stafford committing himself to Rams early into the offseason

It wasn't all that long ago when it felt as if rumors about the unsettled future of quarterback Matthew Stafford would hover over the Los Angeles Rams through yet another winter. 

However, Stafford confirmed on the same night he was revealed as the Most Valuable Player for the 2025 regular season that he was returning to the Rams for at least one more campaign. During a recent conversation with NFL Network's Steve Wyche, Rams head coach Sean McVay discussed not having to spend any real portion of this offseason wondering if Stafford could either retire or look to play elsewhere. 

Sean McVay thrilled that Matthew Stafford wanted to remain the Rams' QB1

"It was good," McVay explained, per Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "Everything starts with that position, and when you've got a guy like him that instills belief in everybody around him, the way he goes about it, he epitomizes everything we want to be about. Then, obviously, he's a special player, but even more a special person. It meant a lot. We're so connected, I think there was a good feel, good vibe that that was the direction you were going in, but you never want to be presumptive. He's earned the right to be able to do it on his terms, and I think he still loves playing. He's obviously playing at an incredible clip, so that was big."

Last offseason, Stafford flirted with agreeing to a trade to a different team before he accepted less money to stay with the Rams via a short-term deal. The one-time Super Bowl champion quarterback who turned 38 years old this past February then received 24 of 50 first-place votes for 366 points regarding the 2025 MVP Award. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye got 23 first-place votes for 361 points to finish second. 

Are Rams thinking about life after Matthew Stafford? 

Earlier in March, Rams general manager Les Snead revealed he will not be "desperate to" find an eventual replacement for Stafford during this year's NFL Draft. McVay seems to believe that Stafford won't be planning on starting a season-long retirement tour come September. 

"That's always the great challenge is you want to make sure you're maximizing the opportunity you have with him while also not being naive to, hey, I'm hopeful to be with the Rams for a long time," McVay added about Stafford. "He's gonna be able to play as long as he's able to, whether that's one, two more, who knows, he might be one of those guys that plays late into his 40s, and I wouldn't have a problem with that. Those are dialogues and discussions that we have a lot, and it's always figuring out that balance of continuing to build and take advantage of what a unique player you have, while also not being naive to eventually we are not gonna have the luxury of having him as our guy, and that's a super important position."

If the 2027 quarterback draft class proves to be as special as advertised, McVay may only need to wait one more offseason to choose the young signal-caller who will become the club's QB1 for at least part of the 2030s.