There have been some questions and concerns about whether Matthew Stafford might retire from the NFL after the 2022 season, but it doesn’t seem like he’s ready to call it a career just yet.
Despite concerns about his neck injury, Stafford said flatly on “The Morning After with Kelly Stafford” that he isn’t retiring. It was a quick answer from the Rams quarterback, essentially shutting down any notion that he’ll walk away from football after the season.
Stafford, 34, just signed a four-year extension with the Rams this past offseason, so he’s under contract through the 2026 season. He’s one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL, which makes it unsurprising that he would deny any speculation about his potential retirement.
#Rams QB Matthew Stafford tells a persistent reporter (his wife) that he's not retiring. https://t.co/OBPrcyWXMj
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 20, 2022
A neck injury isn’t something that’s easy to play through, however. Stafford was diagnosed with a spinal cord contusion, which is sidelining him for the rest of the season. Sean McVay said he expects Stafford to have a “healthy offseason” and doesn’t anticipate him needing surgery to repair the issue.
Stafford played just nine games this season, going 3-6 in those starts. He was also placed in the concussion protocol twice, though he wasn’t diagnosed with a concussion the second time. He threw 10 touchdown passes and eight interceptions this season after tossing 41 touchdown passes and 17 picks in his first season with the Rams last year.
