Stafford’s Swan Song Delayed: MVP Quarterback Announces Return for 2026 Season in Emotional NFL Honors Speech
SAN FRANCISCO — The Palace of Fine Arts is accustomed to hosting masterpieces, but on Thursday night, it played host to a different kind of artistry: the crowning of a career resurgence that few saw coming, and a declaration that the final chapter has yet to be written.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, defying age, critics, and the relentless march of time, was named the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player for the 2025 season. It was a career-defining accolade for the 37-year-old gunslinger, a trophy that had eluded him through 17 bruised and battered seasons in Detroit and Los Angeles.
But as the heavy bronze trophy was placed in his hands, Stafford didn’t just look back at the season that was. He looked forward.
Standing center stage, flanked by his four daughters—all dressed in matching black-and-white dresses—Stafford delivered the news that the football world, and specifically the city of Los Angeles, had been holding its breath to hear.
“I’m so happy to have you at the games on the sideline with me,” Stafford said, his voice cracking slightly as he addressed his children, ignoring the teleprompter and the millions watching at home for a brief, intimate moment. “And I can’t wait for you to cheer me on next year when we’re out there kicking ass.”
The crowd, a “who’s who” of the NFL elite, erupted. A camera panned to Rams head coach Sean McVay, who broke into a wide, relieved grin, clapping furiously.
Stafford turned back to the microphone, his trademark smirk returning. “So, I’ll see you guys next year. Hopefully, I’m not at this event, and we’re getting ready for another game at SoFi.”
With those words, the speculation ended. The retirement rumors were silenced. Matthew Stafford is coming back for an 18th NFL season, armed with an MVP trophy and a singular goal: to play in Super Bowl LXI, which will be hosted at the Rams’ home stadium, SoFi Stadium, in February 2027.
The “Renaissance” Season
To understand the weight of Thursday night’s coronation, one must rewind to the beginning of the 2025 campaign. Stafford was coming off a solid but unspectacular 2024, and whispers about his durability were growing louder. Critics wondered if the “window” had closed for the Rams.
Stafford responded with the finest statistical season of his career.
He finished the regular season leading the NFL in almost every meaningful passing category. His 4,707 passing yards were a league-best. His 46 touchdown passes set a franchise record and led the NFL, marking the second-highest total of his career (behind only his 41-touchdown season in 2011). Perhaps most impressively, he operated with surgical precision, throwing just eight interceptions all year.
“I felt like I was seeing the field better than I ever have,” Stafford told reporters after the ceremony. “The game slows down when you’ve seen every coverage, every blitz, every disguise for nearly two decades. I just trusted my eyes and trusted my guys.”
His “guys” certainly helped. The Rams’ offense was a juggernaut in 2025, fueled by the dynamic duo of Puka Nacua and the veteran acquisition Davante Adams, whose mid-season trade to Los Angeles proved to be the catalyst for the team’s explosive run. Stafford’s connection with his receivers was telepathic, culminating in a mid-season stretch that will likely stand in the record books for decades.
From Week 7 through Week 15, Stafford threw 28 consecutive touchdowns without an interception, breaking the previous NFL record held by Tom Brady. It was a stretch of flawlessness that propelled the Rams to a 12-5 record and the NFC West crown.
“He was playing quarterback at a level that I don’t think we’ve seen in a long time,” said Rams General Manager Les Snead, who was in attendance. “It wasn’t just the throws. It was the command. He was the offensive coordinator on the field.”
A Razor-Thin Race
Despite Stafford’s statistical dominance, the MVP race was one of the closest in NFL history.
The voting panel of 50 journalists was split almost down the middle between the veteran Stafford and the young phenom, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye, in just his second professional season, led the Patriots to the AFC’s No. 2 seed and a berth in Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks. His dual-threat ability and efficient playmaking made him the darling of the analytics community.
When the votes were tallied, the margin was razor-thin:
- Matthew Stafford: 366 points (24 first-place votes)
- Drake Maye: 361 points (23 first-place votes)
The five-point difference made it the closest MVP vote since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair shared the award in 2003. It was a clash of narratives: the sentimental favorite delivering a career year versus the rising star leading a dynasty’s resurrection.
“I have so much respect for Drake,” Stafford said of the runner-up. “He’s going to be on this stage a lot in his career. To battle it out with him all year was a privilege. I’m just glad the old guy got one before he took over.”
Some controversy arose regarding the remaining ballots. Reports surfaced that three voters left the top two candidates off their first-place lines entirely, opting instead for Buffalo’s Josh Allen (two votes) and, inexplicably, one vote for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Had just one of those voters flipped to Maye, the Patriots quarterback might have been standing at the podium.
But history rarely remembers the vote count; it remembers the winner. And in 2025, that winner was Matthew Stafford.
Heartbreak in Seattle
The joy of Thursday night was tempered slightly by the fresh wound of the Rams’ postseason exit. Just two weeks prior, Stafford and the Rams walked into Lumen Field for the NFC Championship Game against their bitter rivals, the Seattle Seahawks.
It was a game for the ages. Stafford was heroic, throwing for 374 yards and three touchdowns against the league’s top-ranked defense. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 350 yards and three touchdowns in a conference championship game and lose.
The 31-27 defeat came in heartbreaking fashion. With the Rams leading late in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks mounted a game-winning drive capped by a Sam Darnold touchdown pass with seconds remaining. Stafford never got the ball back.
“It still stings,” Stafford admitted during his press conference. “I’m not going to lie to you. Watching the Seahawks get ready for the Super Bowl this Sunday… it hurts. We felt we had the team to win it all. But that pain is also fuel. It’s a reminder of how close we are.”
That loss, perhaps more than anything, seemed to drive his decision to return. Walking away after an MVP season is one thing; walking away after falling inches short of the Super Bowl is another.
The Decision to Return
The “will he or won’t he” retirement saga had followed Stafford for the better part of three years. After winning Super Bowl LVI in 2021, he battled elbow tendinitis, spinal contusions, and a thumb injury that threatened to derail his career.
But 2025 was different. Stafford was healthy. He was protected by an offensive line, anchored by rookie sensation and second-round pick Steve Avila, that kept his jersey clean. He was invigorated by the offensive weaponry around him.
Stafford told the Los Angeles Times that the decision was made weeks ago, in consultation with his wife, Kelly, and his four daughters: Tyler, Hunter, Sawyer, and Chandler.
“I figured, ‘Shoot, I don’t really do the social media thing — this will be an easier way to let everyone know how I’m feeling,'” Stafford joked about his on-stage announcement. “If my girls weren’t supportive, I wouldn’t do it. But they love it. They love the locker room, they love the games. They want their dad to keep playing.”
The financial implications of his return are significant but manageable for the Rams. Stafford is under contract through 2026, but restructuring may be necessary to keep the band together. With Davante Adams entering the final year of his deal and young stars like Puka Nacua due for extensions soon, the Rams’ front office will have work to do.
But for Head Coach Sean McVay, the news is a lifeline. McVay, who has also flirted with retirement in recent years, now has his on-field general back for at least one more ride.
“Everything starts with Matthew,” McVay told the team website shortly after the ceremony. “When he’s at the switch, we’ve got a chance against anybody. He loves the grind. He loves the process. We are going to build it back up and go for it again.”
The “Home Game” Motivation
There is a specific, tantalizing carrot dangling in front of the Rams for the 2026 season: Super Bowl LXI.
The game is scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, the Rams’ home turf. The last time the Rams played a Super Bowl in their own building, they won it all in February 2022. The prospect of bookending this era of Rams football with another home Super Bowl victory is a poetic possibility that clearly appeals to Stafford.
“I’ve tasted it once,” Stafford said. “To win it in your own house… there is nothing like it. We have the opportunity to do it again. That’s the goal. That’s the only goal.”
Legacy Cemented
Regardless of what happens in 2026, Thursday night likely cemented Matthew Stafford’s place in Canton.
For years, the knock on Stafford was that he was a “stat padder”—a quarterback who put up gaudy numbers on bad Detroit Lions teams but couldn’t win the big one. Then came the trade to Los Angeles and the immediate Super Bowl title, which silenced the “winner” critique.
Now, with an MVP award on his shelf, the final piece of the Hall of Fame puzzle is in place. He joins an elite fraternity of quarterbacks who have won a Super Bowl and an MVP, a list that includes Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Mahomes, and Montana.
“I don’t play for the jackets or the busts,” Stafford said when asked about the Hall of Fame. “I play for the respect of the guys in the locker room. But I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t nice to be recognized by the people who cover this game.”
A Night of Honors
While Stafford stole the show, he wasn’t the only winner at the NFL Honors.
- Defensive Player of the Year: Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett won his second DPOY award in unanimous fashion. Garrett broke the single-season sack record with 23 sacks, surpassing Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
- Coach of the Year: New England’s Mike Vrabel took home the hardware for orchestrating the Patriots’ turnaround from a 4-13 team to AFC Champions.
- Comeback Player of the Year: San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey won the award after returning from an injury-plagued 2024 to lead the league in scrimmage yards.
- Rookies of the Year: Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (Offensive) and Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger (Defensive) were honored as the league’s top newcomers.
- Walter Payton Man of the Year: Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner received the league’s most prestigious off-field honor, a poignant moment given that he will be playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday.
The Road Ahead
As the confetti settles on the NFL Honors and the focus shifts to Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup between the Patriots and Seahawks, the Rams are officially “on to 2026.”
The NFC West will be a gauntlet. The Seahawks are young, hungry, and potentially Super Bowl champions by Monday morning. The 49ers, with a healthy McCaffrey, remain a threat. The Cardinals and Kyler Murray showed flashes of brilliance.
But the Rams have something no other team in the division has: the reigning MVP.
Matthew Stafford is 37 years old. His hair is greying. His knees have logged thousands of miles. But on Thursday night, standing in a tuxedo with his daughters by his side, he looked like a man who wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the game he loves.
“This game takes a lot out of you,” Stafford concluded. “But it gives you so much more back. I’m not done taking yet.”
For the Los Angeles Rams, and for football fans everywhere, that is the best news of the offseason.
2025 Matthew Stafford Season at a Glance
- Passing Yards: 4,707 (1st in NFL)
- Touchdowns: 46 (1st in NFL)
- Interceptions: 8
- Completion %: 65.0%
- Passer Rating: 109.2
- Record: 12-5 (NFC West Champions)
- Awards: NFL MVP, First-Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl Selection
- Key Moment: NFL-record 28 consecutive touchdown passes without an interception (Weeks 7-15).
