Matthew Stafford talks NFL future, relationship with Ty Simpson

That said, Stafford doesn’t figure to get much, if any, action in preseason games as the Los Angeles Rams look to limit his exposure to contact.

It has been well-documented that Stafford has been managing a degenerative back issue, missing the first month of the Rams’ 2025 preseason camp while undergoing treatments using red light and pulsed electromagnetic frequency (PEMF) devices to aid his recovery.

Indeed, there were some who questioned when and if Stafford would return at all, only to see him enjoy one of the most successful seasons of his career. Stafford led the Rams to the NFC championship game, where they fell to eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle, 31-27.

Riding a wave

Stafford said the MVP season was uplifting and has provided momentum entering the 2026 season.

“Last year was a successful year for me and my team, and that gives you energy,” said Stafford, who’s playing under a one-year, $55 million contract.

Stafford’s late-game efficiency was uncanny last season.Per Pro Football Focus (PFF) metrics, he graded out as the second-most clutch quarterback (behind Dak Prescott), with a passing grade of 87.4 in clutch situations.

Stafford took a sack on only 9.6% of his pressured drop-backs in high-pressure situations.

Fortunately, Stafford notes, the NFL hits aren’t what they once were.

“There’s no question the rules of the game have helped elongate careers,” Stafford said. “Whether you’re a receiver going over the middle of the field and you’re not getting your head knocked off as often as you used to, or a quarterback.

“The biggest thing for me was the way guys used to land on you — just pick you up — and I’d be helpless, and I’d be going, ‘Here we go, let’s see if I get up from this one,’ and drop all their weight on you.”

It’s fair to say every time a player of Stafford’s caliber — and age — takes a hit in the NFL, coaches and general managers hold their breath.

Next up?

Los Angeles selected Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, leading many to believe the former Alabama quarterback is the heir apparent to take over should Stafford go down with an injury, if he can beat out former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett for the backup job.

Long approached his interview with Stafford from that perspective, asking the Rams’ veteran quarterback how he hopes Simpson will view him 15 to 20 years down the road.

“Hopefully, (Simpson) comes away with a guy that treated him the right way, showed him what it was about, what it’s like to be a true professional, and also to be yourself,” Stafford said. “I’m not some robot out there. (I) love playing the game; you see me mic’d up, I run around, yell like crazy and do all sorts of wild (stuff) and have fun with the game, because it is a kids’ game.

“At the same time, I’m here for him if he needs help,” Stafford said. “My number one job — I’ve said this 100 times — is to get our team and myself as ready to play as possible, and if he gathers information and learns from that along the way, I’m fired up for our team because that will make us better, and I’m fired up for him.

“But I’m here to encourage everybody on our team to do their best and find ways to keep getting better and find ways to improve.”

Stafford has helped Bennett improve over these past three seasons, too — to the extent that the Rams’ backup quarterback job does yet appear to be settled.

Reports from L.A.

Quarterback competitions are among the most popular and important storylines to come out of every NFL team’s camp, and Los Angeles’ situation is no different.

“Neither Bennett nor Simpson were able to stand out ahead of the other in these (practice) moments, as both worked on crossers, slants, outs and other basic routes, and neither produced much down the field … ” Nate Atkins recently reported for The Athletic.

“Time will tell whether Simpson or Bennett are ready to fill a void the Rams consider significant with Stafford’s need to take time off and with the risk from each time Stafford takes a hit.”

Many Georgia fans continue to follow Bennett’s career after his MVP performances for the Bulldogs in consecutive CFP championship games.

Stafford, in one of the light-hearted moments of the 41-minute podcast with Long, shared another nugget that Bulldogs’ fans who follow recruiting could find interesting.

Current Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola, who was committed to play for Georgia for seven months in 2023 before signing with Nebraska, is his godson.

“Yeah, I’ve known him from (his youth),” said Stafford, who played with Dylan’s father, former Detroit Lions’ center Dominic Raiola, from 2009-2014. “He calls me ‘Uncle Matthew.’ I’m proud of the kid; he’s a talented player.”

Time will tell if Dylan Raiola makes it to the NFL and if his career overlaps with Stafford’s. Raiola is expected to be the next man up for the Ducks, who are expected to start projected first-round 2027 NFL draft pick Dante Moore at quarterback this season.

Stafford isn’t ruling out playing in the NFL for several more years, even if he is taking things one season at a time.

“When I was getting traded to L.A. (in 2021), I was thinking maybe three or four (more seasons) max feels right, get somewhere in that 15-16 (-year) range,” Stafford said. “Now, I don’t know, maybe I’ll keep rolling. My girls love watching me play, so I might as well.”

Stafford and his wife, former UGA cheerleader Kelly Stafford, have four daughters.

NFL active career passing leaders

NFL all-time leading passers