Matthew Stafford is taking his career year-to-year, but he has at least chatted with some of the longest-lasting quarterbacks in NFL history about playing into his 40s.
Stafford said in a new edition of the “Green Light” podcast that he still takes retirement year-to-year since he is never completely sure how he will feel at the end of a season. However, he has consulted with both Tom Brady and Drew Brees about playing into one’s 40s.
“I talked to [Brady] a little bit, I’ve talked to Drew Brees a little bit about it as well,” Stafford said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “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 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.’ I never really thought about it that way.”
Stafford is still just 38, so if he wants to play into his 40s, he has several years to go. The fact that he has given it though, however, suggests that it is not totally out of the realm of possibility. The Rams certainly think as much, even though they drafted Ty Simpson as his potential successor in April.
Stafford has shown few signs of slowing down. He threw for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns last season and has been able to stay healthy. Nobody should put it past him to be successful for a few more years.
