Matthew Stafford may have just put Seahawks fans on notice.
For Seattle, the NFC West quarterback picture looks relatively settled on its own side. Sam Darnold is the steady hand right now, and the Seahawks have already done enough with him under center to suggest he deserves more than a quick evaluation.
Over in San Francisco, Brock Purdy remains harder to pin down. He’s flashed high-end play, but injuries have also interrupted his run, leaving his long-term hold on the 49ers’ job very much in play.
Then there’s Stafford, who still sits above the rest of the division.
At 38 and heading into his sixth season with the Rams, Stafford remains the best quarterback in the NFC West and one of the league’s top passers overall. Seattle has already had to deal with him, and that problem may not be going away as soon as some fans hoped.
That became a little more uncomfortable after Stafford spoke recently in an interview with former Rams defensive end Chris Long. The veteran quarterback sounded far less like someone nearing the finish line and more like a player who might keep this thing going.
“I think one of the things that surprised me is, I was talking to Drew [Brees]-this was before last season-and he was like, ‘How old are you, again?’ I was like, ‘I’m 37,’” Stafford said.
“He’s like, ‘You might have your best five years of your career coming up.’ And I was like, ‘Huh.
I never really thought about it that way.’
“When I was getting traded to LA, just having those initial conversations with Sean [McVay] and it was like, you know, I don’t know. I think maybe three, three or four more max left feels right.
“Then now it’s like, I don’t know, maybe I’ll just keep rolling. My girls love watching me play and uhhh, might as well.”
That’s not exactly the kind of quote Seahawks fans wanted to hear.
Stafford’s 2024 season already caught plenty of people off guard after back issues surfaced last offseason before the regular season began. Instead of fading, he turned in one of the best years of his career and won his first league MVP award. Retirement came up then, and it came up again after the Rams lost to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.
But if anyone was banking on Stafford stepping away soon, this latest talk should cool that off. It’s difficult to picture him playing four or five more years, and even three feels like a stretch. Still, based on what he showed last season, Seattle may need to plan for at least two more years of Stafford if his back holds up.
That matters because the Rams have already moved ahead of the Seahawks as favorites to win the division and the Super Bowl next season. Another season like the one Stafford just had would only strengthen that grip.
For Seattle, the math is simple: as long as Stafford is still taking snaps for the Rams, the Seahawks won’t get to feel like the clear team to beat in the NFC West.
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