Matthew Stafford hasn’t had a perfectly clean bill of health for the Rams in his two seasons in Los Angeles, but that’s essentially been the story of his entire NFL career. He had minor thumb surgery in 2021 and then the elbow issue last offseason, so he wasn’t 100% for OTAs in either year.
This year, he expects it to be different. Even though he missed significant time with a neck injury this year, the Rams quarterback plans to be a more normal participant in practice during offseason workouts. Stafford told reporters on Monday that he’s looking forward to being healthy for OTAs this spring after being limited the last two offseasons, saying it’ll be “nice.”
“I had obviously the thumb a couple years ago, and then elbow stuff that I wasn’t able to really participate in a whole lot of stuff when it comes to throwing the football for a long time,” Stafford said. “So to be able to do that at a way more regular pace, which is exciting for me as a player, that’s what I want to do. I want to be out there, I want to be able to throw and be a part of the team and do all that kind of stuff, so that’s exciting for me.”
Stafford isn’t expected to undergo offseason surgery to repair his spinal cord contusion, though that is an option for an injury of that nature. He’ll have plenty of time to let it heal before taking the field in April when the Rams begin their offseason program.
He’s ruled out retirement, too. Stafford said he’ll be back in 2023, regardless of whether Sean McVay returns or not. So at the very least, the Rams will have their Super Bowl-winning quarterback under center.
