Matthew Stafford was the subject of trade rumors throughout the 2023 offseason, and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay seems determined to make sure that does not happen again this year.
Stafford told reporters after Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions that he expects to return as the Rams’ quarterback next season. When asked on Wednesday if L.A. is committed to Stafford, McVay gave a very strong response.
Matthew Stafford said Sunday he expects to return in 2024. He said that in 2023, yet there was *a lot* of speculation about what the Rams would do.
Sean McVay says today the Rams are “100%” committed to Stafford, “unequivocally, yes.”
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 17, 2024
McVay could have said something more along the lines of “we are going to evaluate everything in the coming weeks,” but he instead chose to remove all doubt that he wants Stafford back. Though, even that may not be enough to stop the trade rumors from popping back up at some point.
Stafford played in just nine games last season due to multiple injuries. He was banged up again this year, but he threw for 3,965 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Stafford played well enough to lead the Rams to the playoffs and make his second career Pro Bowl, which surprised a lot of people.
The Rams have Stafford under contract through 2026. One of the reasons there was trade speculation last offseason is that he had a $59 million guarantee kick in once the new league year began. That would have made Stafford extremely difficult to trade anyway, but McVay insists he and L.A.’s decision-makers never wanted to part with the QB.
Stafford will turn 36 this offseason, but he recently made it seem like he is nowhere close to retiring.
