Given that the Los Angeles Rams are out of the playoffs, it may be appropriate to consider the possibility of some of the team’s veterans retiring.
Given that he will turn 36 in less than a month, veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford is among the most likely to announce his retirement.
However, in his postgame press conference following the tight Wild Card defeat, Stafford humorously put any retirement rumors to rest, saying that, barring any setbacks, he will be back for the next season.
“That’s my plan right now,” Stafford said. “My plan is to be back, and you’ll have to deal with me for another year, so have fun with that.”
The Rams quarterback appears to be in better shape than he has in a long time, according to Ian Rapoport, who also discussed this on NFL GameDay.
“He is vintage Matthew Stafford,” Rapoport said. “These people that have seen Stafford for years say that he is throwing the ball as well as he has in a very long time, and that is one reason why he has no plans to retire.”
Furthermore, he is correct.
Despite having an elbow issue that has bothered him for the past several seasons, Stafford seemed unaffected as quarterback guided the Rams to a 10-7 record into the postseason.
Even yet, Stafford tossed for 2 touchdowns and 367 yards in the Detroit Lions game while being jeered loudly by the crowd at Ford Field.
He also demonstrated why he is one of the hardest players in the NFL by playing despite a finger injury he got halfway through the game.
And he says he’s prepared to run for office again in 2024.