Sean McVay Explained Why He’s ‘Keeping His Fingers Crossed’ Over Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford’s future in the league is one of the biggest quarterback storylines this offseason. The Rams starter hasn’t given an official answer about the retirement question that looms over him these next few months.

It sounds like Los Angeles coach Sean McVay also doesn’t know about Stafford’s decision yet. After McVay received a multi-year contract extension on Monday to remain with the Rams for the foreseeable future, he admitted he’s holding out hope for the nearly 38-year-old quarterback to come back for the 2026 season.

“He deserves as much time as he needs," McVay said, via the NFL. “We spend a lot of time together. ... I’m hopeful, but with respect to him, [we] haven't set any sort of timetable. I don’t get the sense he wants to let it drag on either, and then we’ll just kind of see how he's feeling. I’m keeping my fingers crossed like you guys that he still wants to go play.”

This was quite a different response than what McVay first offered right after the Rams lost to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game last weekend. When the coach was asked immediately after the game, he shot off a fiery answer by saying: “Yeah, I mean if he still wants to play, what the hell kind of question is that?” Understandably, McVay was still trying to digest the fact that the team’s season had just ended.

McVay noted that the team plans to let Stafford make the announcement on his own once he’s made a decision.

Stafford’s repeated that he needs “some time” to ponder over his decision about returning to the Rams. So, it seems like fans won’t get an answer any day soon. It’s worth noting that Stafford does have one year left on his contract with the Rams, making it seem like he would at least play for the 2026 season before making a retirement decision. But there are other factors, like family, he has to consider this offseason.

One could argue that Stafford still has plenty of football left in him. McVay said on Monday that Stafford is “still playing at an incredible level.” He led the league in passing yards (4,707) and passing touchdowns (46), and he has the best odds to win the NFL MVP award. He had an incredible 2025 season, and he might not be done playing quite yet.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated