𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sean McVay was already in a bad mood, and a question about his quarterback didn’t help much.

After the Los Angeles Rams lost 31-27 to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, the Rams coach was asked whether he expected star signal caller Matthew Stafford to return for an 18th NFL season.

“Yeah. I mean, if he still wants to play, what the hell kind of question is that?” McVay answered. “I know that if he wants to, he’s still playing at a pretty damn good clip. I mean, he’s the MVP of the league, and if he’s not … I got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level that’s just different.”

Matthew Stafford declined to say whether he would come back for an 18th season next year. He was especially short on words.

Sean McVay said, “What kind of question is that?” when asked if Stafford would be back. But then said it’s up to Matthew if he wants to keep playing.

— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) January 26, 2026

When Stafford was asked about returning after the game, he declined to address it.

“I can’t generalize six months of my life 10 minutes after a loss,” Stafford told reporters.

In Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, Stafford threw for 374 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He had the Rams on the doorstep of a possible late victory, but his fourth-down pass from the Seattle 6-yard line was broken up in the end zone with 4:59 left in the game.

During the regular season, Stafford put up MVP numbers: 4,707 yards passing, 46 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a passer rating of 109.2.

Over his five seasons with L.A., Stafford led the Rams to a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. After a renegotiation last spring, he is under contract with the Rams through next season, during which he’s set to make $40 million five days after the start of the 2026 league year, per Over The Cap.