LOS ANGELES — Quarterback Matthew Stafford may have signed a one-year, $55 million contract extension with the Rams through the 2027 season last week, but he said Thursday after the team finished its first week of OTAs that that won’t change the way he approaches his future.
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Entering his 18th season at age 38, Stafford and the Rams have had an agreement the last couple of seasons to take a year-to-year approach to the quarterback’s future. After each campaign, he has taken whatever time he needed to consider if he wanted to play another year, then given the team the green light.
That approach will remain the same, even after the new deal.
“That’s the conversations that I’ve had with the team,” Stafford said. “It’s a family decision. I can’t sit there and tell you what it’s going to look like 365 days from now. If you can, let me know. But it’s just one of those deals where I’m doing the best I can to make sure that I can play as long as I can and make sure that my family and I are all on the same page before we, you know, embark on whatever season it may be.”
Stafford’s family – wife Kelly and four daughters – has always been a big part of Stafford’s football life, but their presence has grown in recent years. The five Stafford ladies traveled to almost every road Rams game last year, and all were present with Stafford signed his extension last week.
“As much as they cheer for me … they’re cheering for the defense like crazy out there. I’m like, ‘Oh, I can hear them all day,’” Stafford said. “So it’s fun to watch them do their thing and I wouldn’t be doing this if they weren’t excited about it and wanted to come to practice, the game to cheer me on. So their support means the world to me.”
Stafford’s extension was a simpler, quieter matter than a year ago. Then, Stafford and the Rams both explored the possibility of a trade. Destinations such as the Giants and Raiders leaked to the media before both sides ultimately came to an agreement to keep Stafford in Los Angeles.
Asked Thursday if that straightforward negotiation meant he had chosen to ultimately finish his career with the Rams, Stafford said, “I’m not going to sit there and try to predict the future. … That would probably be a yes, but I’m not going to put anything. I mean, this is football, this is the world, this is life. I don’t know what’s going to happen. But, I do love playing here. I love playing for this organization, love my teammates. And my family loves it here.”
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The Rams did begin to make some preparations this offseason for the day when Stafford’s tenure does come to an end. The team selected Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson last month with the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft.
Head coach Sean McVay called Stafford to alert him ahead of the selection, something that Stafford appreciated.
“I understand where the team’s coming from,” Stafford said of the pick. “Listen, I’m not 25 years old and I get that. So we’re doing everything we can to be as good a football team as we can for now, for the future, for all of it.”
While McVay has said that he communicated that any succession would only come when Stafford is ready to retire, the quarterback took a more business-like approach to that possibility. He said Thursday that he knows any NFL player’s job security is dependent upon performance, and he doesn’t think his situation will be any different.
But that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying to help Simpson along where he can.
“You got to go out there and play well and be the best option at your spot. So that’s my goal,” Stafford said. “[Simpson is] a guy that asks questions. I’ve been trying to answer those as honestly and as thoroughly as I possibly can. He’s a smart kid, he’s got talent.”
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