Matthew Stafford had let Rams head coach Sean McVay and General Manager Les Snead know that he would be back with the club for 2026 before telling the world during his MVP acceptance speech on Thursday night.
But like any good Hollywood story, McVay noted that the group “wanted to make it dramatic.”
After Stafford won the first MVP award of his career, McVay told Gary Klein of the L.A. Times that Stafford’s return sets up a positive outlook for the 2026 offseason and eases a little bit of the pain of falling to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
“That’s the start to everything, is your quarterback position. And to be able to have a guy that’s playing as good as he’s ever played — and it’s sustainable,” McVay said. “And you know he’s loving it. He’s surrounded by a great group of guys, and we have a lot of continuity coming back. You start all over, but man, when he says he’s in, that gives you a lot of confidence and excitement of how we can move forward.
“So, really happy for him. He’s the most humble superstar I’ve ever been around, and it’s really cool. So if we can’t be playing, this is a good consolation process.”
Stafford completed 65 percent of his passes in 2025, leading the league with 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns while passing for eight interceptions. He then threw for 936 yards with six touchdowns and one interception in three postseason games.