Age-wise he may not be Aaron Rodgers, but Rams QB Matthew Stafford is coming off his first MVP season at the age of 37 and hopes that 38 will be just as good a year for him. To that end, he's enlisted the help of two NFL greats who managed to enjoy success well into their 40s.
Appearing on the Green Light podcast with Chris Long, Stafford revealed that he's been talking to legendary QBs Tom Brady and Drew Brees about what it took for them to play into their 40s. Stafford made it pretty clear that he wants to give his final years everything he's got.
“I talked to [Brady] a little bit, I’ve talked to Drew Brees a little bit about it as well,” Stafford said. “It is year-to-year because I think it’s fair to the team, I think it’s fair to me, my family — I don’t want to sit there and say, OK, 24 months from now, I’ve got to be ready to play another football season. I’m like, phew, that just seems like a lot. I know that I’m ready to play this year. And hopefully, I feel great at the end of next year, and I’m ready to play another one after that. And then maybe we just kind of keep going like that. But, committing to more than that feels a little bit daunting. And I think a little bit unfair to the team and myself.
“So, the last thing I want to do is sign some five-year extension, and after one year be like, ‘Oh man, I’m ready to retire. I want to spend time with my family.’ And they’re sitting there with four years on the books and had a bunch of planning done that I was going to be around. I don’t want to play football not all the way in it, too, and just be half-assed leading it.”
Advice from the Experts
Brees completed over 72-percent of his passes for 51 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions once he reached his 40th birthday, while Brady played a whopping six more seasons after the big 4-0. Few people are better qualified to give such advice.
Stafford said that Brees told him that some of the best years of his career could be coming up. He said it "lit a fire" under him to believe he can keep going.
“I think one of the things that surprised me is, I was talking to Drew — this was before last season — and he was like, ‘How old are you, again?’ I was like, ‘I’m 37.’ He’s like, ‘You might have your best five years of your career coming up.’ And I was like, ‘Huh,’” Stafford said. “I never really thought about it that way. You’re taught as a player in this league it’s a young man’s game and the older you get, you’re just kind of doing everything you can to try to stay up to par with everybody else. And Drew saying that kind of lit a fire under me, and it give you a little bit of belief that maybe an old guy can go out there and spin it around a little bit.
“Obviously, last year was a successful year for our team and for myself. And just gives you a little bit of energy moving forward and hope that that continues.”
Will Stafford manage to play into his 40s?
