Matthew Stafford’s plans for the future are coming straight from the horse’s mouth.
The Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stafford was officially named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2025 season. Stafford received the award on Thursday during the NFL Honors gala at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, Calif.
To conclude his MVP acceptance speech, Stafford, who very narrowly beat out New England Patriots counterpart Drake Maye for the award, made a major announcement. Stafford revealed that he will be returning for the 2026 NFL season.
“So I’ll see you guys next year,” Stafford said in his closing remarks.
"So I'll see you guys next year."
— NFL (@NFL) February 6, 2026
Matthew Stafford is coming back next season
NFL Honors on NBC/NFL Network
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There you have it, folks. Stafford, who turns 38 later this week, is returning for his 18th career NFL season next fall.
After the Rams lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Seattle Seahawks last month, there was some talk that Stafford could potentially retire from the league. Even Rams head coach Sean McVay admitted that he was unsure if Stafford would be back.
But Stafford, who is under contract with the Rams for next season at a total cap hit of $48.3 million, clearly still has plenty left to offer after winning his first career NFL MVP in his late 30s. With the Rams’ home of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. set to host Super Bowl LXI in Feb. 2027, Stafford is officially ready to give it one more go.
