While the Los Angeles Rams’ young head coach mulls whether to step away from the league, quarterback Matthew Stafford said Monday he has no intention to retire this offseason.
Stafford, who will turn 35 next month, is coming off his 14th NFL season, which ended prematurely with a season-ending spinal injury.
Stafford was diagnosed with a spinal cord contusion in addition to a concussion, but it isn’t expected to be a long-term problem for the quarterback that led Los Angeles to last year’s Super Bowl title.
He also told reporters Monday that whether Sean McVay chooses to step down from his post would have no impact on his own decision.
ESPN and The Athletic reported over the weekend that McVay, 36, will take his time deciding whether he wants to return to the Rams in 2023. Los Angeles suffered through an injury-laden title defense and finished 5-12, missing the playoffs.
McVay drew interest from networks eyeing him for a color commentary role last year, when he was coming off his first Super Bowl victory and entertained the possibility that he’d walk away.
“There’s a lot of emotion right after the season,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of layers to this. There’s a lot of people that it does affect that I don’t take lightly and want to be mindful of. And so I’m going to take the next couple days to really be able to kind of reflect.”
McVay also said he doesn’t “get the sense in the least bit I’m done coaching. It’s just a matter of what does that look like as it relates to the immediate future.”
The Rams signed McVay to an extension before the season, making him under contract through the 2026 season. Financial terms were not released by the club at the time, but McVay is reportedly among the highest-paid coaches in the NFL. Stafford also signed an extension through 2026.
McVay is 60-37 with one game left to complete a sixth full season as the Rams’ coach.
–Field Level Media