Matthew Stafford says he'll "hopefully" play more football beyond the 2026 season

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Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is now under contract with the Rams through the 2027 season, and he says his hope is that he's playing at least that long. The 38-year-old Stafford told Pat McAfee that he would like to keep playing beyond this year. "I'm happy to be in Los Angeles right now with the sun beating down on my face and another year under my belt coming up, and hopefully some more football after that. I love playing this game," Stafford said. Stafford said he and his family discuss whether he should retire, and so far everyone is on board with him keeping it going. “My body feels pretty good, luckily, which is great," Stafford said. "Those conversations are family things. I talked about those with my wife and my kids. They love watching me play, they want me to keep doing it as long as I feel good and I feel excited about it, which I am,” Stafford said. The Rams are already planning for a future without Stafford by drafting quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round. Stafford said he'll attempt to manage the end of his career in a way that works for the Rams. “It is something delicate," Stafford said. "I've got to navigate the end of it, and I’m not sure when that is. I want to be fair to our team, but I also want to be fair to myself and take this thing year to year. But at the same time, I love playing, and I’m excited about this season." Stafford is heading into his sixth season with the Rams after playing 12 with the Lions. Whether he'll retire as a Ram or perhaps go elsewhere when it's time for Simpson to take the reins of the Rams' offense remains to be seen, but he's hoping that his 18th NFL season will not be his last.