Matthew Stafford may want to play again, but do the Rams want him back?

All Matthew Stafford has done since joining the Los Angeles Rams is prove doubters wrong. Stafford helped L.A. to a Super Bowl victory and he’s kept the team relevant for three of the last four years by making the playoffs. He likely would tell you the situation for the Rams and himself has been mutually beneficial, and that’s a beautiful thing.

But all beautiful things come to an end, so the question on top of Stafford’s and the Rams’ minds is how long can they keep their mutually beneficial arrangement well, mutually beneficial?

Rumors are that Stafford wants to go at least another season, but do the Rams want to take him on for another campaign?

The Rams and their current franchise quarterback have a number of questions to answer as they determine how they wish to move forward. The biggest financial variables are: Will Stafford play for the Rams while taking a contract that suits the organization’s needs? Or may Stafford be more interested in maximizing his money in what’s likely the final year(s) of his career?

Whereas I would guess Stafford is not trying to reset the quarterback market at his current age, he also wants to be paid what he is worth. Stafford and his representatives have always done savvy business, and in terms of arm talent he is still a top QB in the league. In terms of his ability to process the field, again he ranks among the top.

Stafford may not be worth $60 million a year, but he could want more than the number that is guaranteed to him in 2025 which is relatively nothing (compared to other quarterbacks around the league) due to his restructure last offseason.

It’s not a hot take to say that Stafford looked like he could still lead a team on a playoff run. He did that this past season. The question on how long Stafford wants to play can only be answered by the man himself, and he might not even know beyond this year.

The Rams wanted Stafford to make a decision on his future sooner than later, and if it’s true that he wants to play in 2025 then that’s a big step forward.

However, Stafford wanting to play in 2025 doesn’t answer everything that L.A. needs to consider. For example, how long does Stafford intend to keep playing past this upcoming season? If Stafford wants to go one year at a time, do the Rams feel the same?

The question about whether or not the Rams are willing to take this one season at a time is complicated. Les Snead was able to make it work last time, but can they do it again? Or would the Rams rather try and embrace an era beyond Stafford now?

It appears at face value that if you ask Sean McVay, he is willing to roll with Stafford as long as Stafford is willing to roll with the brilliant head coach. McVay typically has nothing but praise for his quarterback, and Stafford himself often cites the same talking points that his head coach makes too. They have always presented as though they are in sync, so if money is not an issue, I think it’s fair to say Stafford and McVay would like to keep the partnership going.

There are so many other people and factors involved in these decisions than just McVay and Stafford though, and until we know what Stafford wants to do, and what the Rams want to do it’s very challenging to speculate on what the franchises short and long-term future will look like.

So many questions, so few if any concrete answers. However, both the quarterback and the team will have their questions answered in time.

Whether either are happy with the outcome is another matter.