ESPN Predicts Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford Will Retire

Could the Los Angeles Rams be moving on from Matthew Stafford at the end of the 2023 season?

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has dealt with a UCL sprain in his thumb in recent weeks, but could his career as a whole screech to a halt following this season?

That's what one ESPN analyst believes. In a piece where NFL writers gave predictions for the remainder of the 2023 season, it was stated that these would be the "final games" of Stafford's NFL career, stating that he would opt for retirement. 

You can find an excerpt from the piece below.

These will be the final games of Matthew Stafford‘s career

"To be clear, I have no inside information. But I watched how ready and optimistic Stafford was during the Rams’ training camp, and this season, while a known rebuild, has been brutal. It’s the second straight season in which he has gotten beat up every week, too, taking a sack on 7.5% of his dropbacks since the start of 2022. He has banked in the neighborhood of $300 million during his career. He has won a Super Bowl. And he has numbers that will merit serious Canton consideration. So factoring all that in, my prediction is that Stafford calls it a career after the season. — Seth Wickersham, NFL writer"

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

That reasoning tends to make sense, although Wickersham does not claim to have any insider information or be inside Stafford's own mind. 

Still, with the veteran quarterback having already battled injuries this season during a lackluster start to the campaign, could he hang up his cleats at the end of the year?

Stafford has been a part of NFL life since he was drafted in 2009 by the Detroit Lions after playing his college ball with the Georgia Bulldogs. He was acquired by the Rams via trade entering the 2021 season, and he has remained in L.A. ever since.

It appears that Stafford could be on the way to taking the field once again this week, however, when his team faces the Seattle Seahawks. You can read more details here.