CBS Sports: Lions favorite quarterback made a shocking unexpected announcement regarding his retirement.
The 37-year-old Matthew Stafford may be reaching the conclusion of his career, which started as a No. 1 overall choice of the Detroit Lions and featured a Super Bowl victory with the Los Angeles Rams.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic conjectured that this may be Stafford’s last act in the NFL, despite the fact that Stafford has placed the Rams in the middle of the postseason battle this season, leading the NFC West at 8-6. According to Howe, the Rams could need to start considering their options, including looking to free agency for a replacement.
The Rams Might Begin Making Plans Now
Howe pointed out that Stafford’s time with the Rams may be running out since he is already too old to be an NFL quarterback.
Howe added, “Stafford turns 37 in February, so the Rams need to be diligent about finding his successor because for a player of that age, retirement is always on the table.” “The Rams should enter the veteran market if Stafford retires this offseason, whether they try to sign Darnold or trade for Cousins. However, they also cannot disregard the draft.
Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl the following season after joining them in a stunning deal with the Lions in 2021. In 2024, he has completed 66.3% of his throws for 3,463 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, demonstrating his efficiency.
Stafford renegotiated his deal in the summer to allow for a possible departure from Los Angeles, as CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani pointed out.
Dajani stated, “According to NFL Media, Stafford’s updated contract includes a $12.5 million signing bonus, $23.5 million guaranteed this year, and a $4 million guaranteed March roster bonus.” In essence, Stafford forfeited his 2025 guarantees and agreed to a one-year, $40 million contract. Stafford offers himself the opportunity to negotiate a whole new contract the next summer by completing his agreement in this manner.
The Lions’ trade also worked out well.
The Lions have benefited greatly from the 2021 trade, acquiring quarterback Jared Goff, who has contributed to Detroit being a Super Bowl contender. With a 12-2 record, the Lions are in the driver’s seat for the top overall spot and a postseason bye.
The Lions now have the highest scoring offense in the league thanks to Goff, who has completed a career-high 71.4% of his throws for 3,759 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Despite last week’s 48-42 shootout loss to the Buffalo Bills, Goff told reporters following the game that it demonstrates the team’s progress over the previous four seasons.
“You do realize that it’s humorous because it’s relative? For adversity now is not the same as difficulty two years ago. According to SI.com, Goff stated, “I think that seeing [Campbell] stand in the storm at 1–6 and 3–13, or whatever we were that first year, makes his words mean so much more now when we’re 12–2 and facing our first loss in the last 12 weeks.” “So if that’s our adversity at the moment, we’ll be all right, we’ll deal with it, and we’ll move on, but I believe that when he stands in front of the room, people pay attention, and our team’s handling of adversity has been pretty good.”
