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Sarah Barshop
SEATTLE — After the Los Angeles Rams’ 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, quarterback Matthew Stafford declined to answer if he would be back next season.
Stafford, 37, just completed his 17th NFL season. He is under contract through the 2026 season after he and the Rams agreed to a reworked contract last February.
«I can’t generalize six months of my life 10 minutes after a loss,» Stafford said. «So I appreciate the guys in this locker room a whole hell of a lot. Everybody that helped me and helped our team be the success that we were this year. And that’s all I’ll answer for you.»
When asked after the game whether he expects Stafford to be back next season, Rams head coach Sean McVay said, «Yeah, if he still wants to play. The hell kind of question is that?»
When asked whether Stafford wants to play next season, McVay answered, «You’ll have to ask him.»
«We’ve been totally present,» McVay said. «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.»
Puka Nacua said he thought Stafford was «phenomenal» on Sunday.
«He always does a great job in being able to make plays for us,» Nacua said. «I think in the moments that we needed, he was able to read the defense and put the ball where he needed to.»
The loss was so hard to process, McVay said, because of «the finality of all of it.» At the podium after the game, McVay said he felt «pretty numb.» Stafford called the loss a «tough pill to swallow at the moment.»
«I felt like we were going to be the team on that podium,» McVay said. «And we weren’t. And you give Seattle the credit, but I love this group. And I’m never really short on words, and I am right now, so it’s tough.
Wide receiver Davante Adams, who signed with the Rams in March, was visibly emotional as he answered questions in the locker room. When asked how he would describe those emotions, Adams said, «heartbreak.»
«It’s tough to talk, honestly,» Adams said.
When asked how he would describe how Stafford and the Rams offense played on Sunday, Adams paused for more than 20 seconds as he tried to collect himself.
«I’m proud of the way the guys fought today,» Adams said.
Adams said the emotions came in part from being in this position before and knowing how hard it is to get back. Adams has played in five NFC Championship Games in his career and has never been to a Super Bowl. His 0-5 record in Conference Championship Games is the second-most losses without a win by any player since the round was created in 1970, according to ESPN Research.
Adams called this Rams team «one of my favorite teams I’ve ever been a part of» and said playing with Stafford has «been a dream.»
«[He’s] one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game and one of the coolest teammates that I’ve ever had,» Adams said. «And I know I use that term a lot with him, but just truly, I don’t know if I’ve ever played with somebody who’s a baller and just such an easy guy to function with.
«… So just being able to spend time with him this year, get to know him a little bit more than just across the NFC North, I value that a lot.»
