Matthew Stafford is ageing like a fine wine. The 38-year-old will officially begin Year 18 in the NFL when he leads the Los Angeles Rams out onto the field to face the San Francisco 49ers at the iconic MCG in Melbourne, Australia.Matthew Stafford enters the 2026 NFL season – his 18th – as the reigning MVPGettyHe is coming off an MVP-winning season in which he threw a career-high 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. But he is also one of the oldest quarterbacks in the NFL, behind only Aaron Rodgers, who turns 43 in December.The future Hall of Famer’s age has led to some speculation over when he could perhaps retire, especially when he is playing the best football of his career. Arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady holds the world record for being the oldest signal caller to start a game, making his last appearance of a stellar 23-year career aged 45. With Rodgers having already announced that 2026 will be the last season of his career, Stafford would become the next in line to try and chase down Brady’s record, albeit still some years off, – but only if he wanted to. Speaking on SiriusXM’s Let’s Go! show that he co-hosts alongside Peter King, Jim Gray, and new recruit Drew Brees, Stafford opened up about his retirement plans. “I understand that there is runway out there and has been for other guys. Whether that ends up being the case for me or not, that’s yet to be seen,” he said. “I truly make these decisions year-to-year. I talk about it with my girls and my wife, Kelly, my family, the people that mean the most to me and ultimately want to be up front and fair with the team and my family as well on, ‘hey, what’s the best course of action?’“And that’s why I’ve kind of signed the one year extensions because I don’t think it’s right for them to lock me up to some major long-term deal and then a year from now go, ‘you know what? It’s just not going to work for me and my family’, and then stick the team with a bunch of dead cap and all that kind of stuff. “So just trying to be as prudent as I can while still understanding that, yeah, there are times where I feel really good and feel like playing isn’t something that I want to stop doing anytime soon.”Stafford has opened up on why he is now taking short-term contractsGettyGarrett was traded to the Rams in one of the biggest moves of the offseasonGettyStafford penned a one-year, $55 million with the team back in May, not committing his long-term future to the organization, with those reasons now having been explained. The Rams also opted to think about their future and life after Stafford, showcasing this by drafting quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.Stafford can lead Rams back to the Super BowlThe Rams enter the new campaign as the leading favorites to win Super Bowl LXI. The Big Game will be held at their own SoFi Stadium, which also just so happened to be the host venue of their last Super Bowl triumph when they beat the Cincinnati Bengals.Whilst the offense was firing on all cylinders last season with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua leading from the front, the Rams defense slacked behind. However, Sean McVay‘s side were dealt a double boost in their pursuit of glory, as Myles Garrett joined the team after the Rams swung a blockbuster trade to land the reigning Defensive Player of the Year from the Cleveland Browns.Aaron Donald was simply unstoppable throughout his 10-year career in the NFL and now returns to the Rams in 2026GettyGarrett’s arrival was also enough to convince three-time DPOY Aaron Donald to come out of retirement after three seasons away, and return to the organization where he spent his entire 10-year NFL career.With arguably the best defensive front-line in the entire league, and Stafford orchestrating under center on the other side of the ball, the Rams look primed to go the distance. But much like Stafford’s retirement decision, only will time will tell on whether that comes into fruition. Join talkSPORT’s dedicated US Sports YouTube channel The S* Word every Tuesday and Thursday for our brand new NFL shows.On Tuesdays, Will Gavin and US senior reporter Brian T. Smith will debate the biggest talking points from the NFL weekend, while on Thursdays Efe Obada joins the crew to talk to players past and present and break down what to look for across the league.