Five ridiculously good seasons, one Super Bowl, and one MVP nod. All of these define everything quarterback Matthew Stafford has done for the Los Angeles Rams. Retirement talks had piped up last season, but the veteran QB shot them down after his last game in 2025. The Rams, too, don’t want to part with him. Stafford will officially be suiting up for the 2027 season, having signed an extension with the team.

The franchise confirmed the news with a statement. While the Rams didn’t unveil the exact figure of Stafford’s contract, ESPN reported that Stafford signed a one-year, $55 million extension. It could also go up to as much as much as $60 million with incentives, the report added. The 38-year-old was under contract for the 2026 season and was set to earn $40 million.

At 38 years old, Matthew Stafford recorded an impressive year as Rams QB1 by leading the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. 28 of those scores came without an interception. Leading the Rams to the NFC Championship last year, the franchise wants more of this performance for the next two years.

The Rams are one of the top contenders to win the Super Bowl this season, with FOX Sports ranking them as their top favorite. The team is expected to win 16 of its 17 games, and that has a lot to do with Matthew Stafford’s presence. This potential is also another reason why it made sense for the Los Angeles to opt for one more year with the veteran running the show.

Stafford has already given the Rams a Super Bowl. But since the win in the 2021 season, LA hasn’t made it back to the Big Game. Near-misses have made up most of the gap between then and now, but the Rams have recalibrated enough to clinch the championship this season.

But with this extension, things change for rookie QB Ty Simpson.

What happens to Ty Simpson?

Matthew Stafford was already informed that they were bringing the Alabama product on as his successor. Initially, the plan looked clear-cut:  Simpson would learn from one of the best signal-callers this year and eventually take over next year. Now, he’ll have to play the waiting game for one more year.

The Rams know Stafford will retire. That was the reason why they traded up and drafted Simpson, making him the second QB picked. Fellow backup Jimmy Garoppolo is also expected to retire soon, which created an even bigger need for a quarterback at the draft.

With Simpson on the roster, the Rams can also pull a shocker by having Stafford split reps with the rookie. If not for this season, this situation is very much possible for the 2027 season. According to research by SBNation, only a third of Week 1 QBs held their role for the entirety of the season. Stafford was one of them, but we all know he’s an outlier when it comes to durability.

Stafford has played the last two seasons in full health, but he also missed training camp completely last year due to a back injury. Should he be unavailable for any reason, LA will want a quarterback who can be as consistent as Stafford. That’s a tall ask from Simpson, but he’s not all that bad. Despite others calling him a wasted pick.

Other great QBs also got the keys from their teams after a long time. Aaron Rodgers backed up Brett Favre for three years, and Phillip Rivers sat out for two, when Drew Brees was still with the then-San Diego Chargers. It would be wrong to include Simpson immediately in this group, but the Rams are moving forward with an agenda here.