Getty Image / Maximilian Haupt
As the NFL headed into its 2023 offseason, football fans had the expectation that a couple of the league’s biggest names at quarterback could have taken the last snaps of their careers.
So far, we’ve already seen Tom Brady retire, but are still waiting to learn what Aaron Rodgers’ future holds.
Now it appears there may be another star quarterback mulling the possibility of retirement.
According to NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry, retirement is not out of the question for Matthew Stafford this offseason.
Rumors on Lamar, a sleeper offense, which KC WR you want next year and so much more. It’s my annual NFL Combine rumors and tidbits column. The 23 things I learned at the 2023 #NFLCombine and as always… it’s 100% free. https://t.co/U20JZFUOJu
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) March 6, 2023
Asking about Matthew Stafford, I was told ‘The guy could barely throw last year. Retirement is still not out of the question.’
Last offseason, Stafford was dealing with an elbow issue that required platelet-rich plasma and injections and a non-surgical procedure.
Stafford and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay repeatedly stated before the season that it wouldn’t have an impact on Stafford as the Rams attempted to defend their title as Super Bowl champions.
Whether it was because of the elbow or a lack of protection behind a shaky offensive line, Stafford was not nearly as good in 2022 as he was in 2021. In the 9 games he played during the 2022 NFL season, he only threw 10 touchdown passes after throwing 41 the previous season and he averaged 55.5 less passing yards per game.
Then he suffered a neck injury that caused him to temporarily feel numbness in his legs, leading to him being shut down for the rest of the season.
This has been an offseason with plenty of changes already for the Rams with some new members of the coaching staff and the release of Bobby Wagner and the changes aren’t expected to stop there.
The team is reportedly looking to trade Jalen Ramsey, has given Allen Robinson permission to seek a trade, and will release Leonard Floyd if they can’t trade him.
Now it looks like the Los Angeles Rams could potentially lose their starting quarterback too.