Despite how well he's played for the Los Angeles Rams over the past few years, there's no guarantee Matthew Stafford will be back for the 2026 season.
Stafford just wrapped up the best season of his career, completing 65% of his pass attempts for 4,707 yards with 46 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He's the odds-on favorite to be named MVP of the league at this Thursday night's NFL Honors show. Although he's still playing at an elite level, there's no guarantee he'll keep playing. After all, he's been flirting with retirement for the past year.
McVay was asked about Stafford's future in the NFL on Monday. To the surprise of absolutely no one, he'd love to have the veteran gunslinger back for another season.
"If that's something that he wants to do, the answer is absolutely yes. I think what's great is he's gonna take his time with (his wife) Kelly and the girls and see what's best, but man, is he still playing at an incredible level," McVay said, via NFL.com. "Our hope is that he does (return), but with respect to his timetable and ability to be able to communicate with you guys whenever he feels ready to make that announcement, we'll let him be able to do that."
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An official decision hasn't been announced yet from Stafford, but Rams fans are convinced he'll return for at least one last playoff run.
Earlier this Tuesday, Stafford's wife shared a photo of them vacationing with McVay. That has led many people to believe that he's returning for the 2026 season.
"When the MVP and coach hit the beach together. Retirement talks? Nah, just plotting the next Super Bowl run," one fan commented.
"Yeah, he's not going anywhere," a second fan wrote.
"That man coming back to win it all at SoFi," another fan said.
Is there a timeline for Stafford's decision?
While the Rams would love to know about Stafford's status for the 2026 season as soon as possible, they won't rush his decision.
"He deserves as much time as he needs," McVay told reporters. "I'm hopeful, but with respect to him, (we) haven't set any sort of timetable. I don't get the sense he wants to let it drag on either, and then we'll just kind of see how he's feeling. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, like you guys, that he wants to still play."
If Stafford retires this offseason, quarterback will immediately become the No. 1 need for the Rams. As of right now though, it doesn't sound like Stafford has one foot out the door.