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The 49ers Could Get Good News about a Division Rival's Quarterback Soon

Matthew Stafford will be 37 in February and he hasn't yet decided if he'll play next season or retire.

Grant Cohn

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The 49ers could get some good news about the divisional-rival Los Angeles Rams this offseason.

Matthew Stafford has been the best quarterback in the NFC West since the Rams traded for him in 2021 -- he just beat the 49ers twice this season. But he'll be 37 in February and he hasn't yet decided if he'll play next season or retire.

Last offseason, Stafford also floated the possibility of retiring until the Rams revised his contract just before training camp. It's possible Stafford is trying to do that again. If that's the case, Rams head coach Sean McVay wants a swift resolution.

"We don't want to have that go on again," McVay said on Thursday. "I don't think that's good for anybody. I think sooner than later, being able to get that clarity. Understanding clear, open and honest communication. I think there's a lot of love coming from our part. I think there's a lot of appreciation coming from his part as well. And I think a lot sooner than later is an ideal scenario."

Sounds like McVay is telling Stafford to make up his mind. The Rams had a slow start this past season and clearly want all their key players on hand for OTAs and minicamp, and that includes Stafford. If he wants to hold the team hostage for a few extra million, would the Rams consider trading him?

It's worth noting that the Rams almost never engage in messy holdouts with players.

Stay tuned.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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