Matthew Stafford on Longevity: Mentors Brady and Brees Advise Playing into 40s

Not many quarterbacks are in the "start after 40" club, but as he continues to play at the highest level, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford could join the exclusive group. The 38-year-old is coming off an MVP season, showing no signs of slowing down and showing that it's very possible he plays into his 40s.

He shut down any retirement rumors during his MVP speech, saying he would play in 2026. He admits that it'll be a year-to-year decision, wanting to evaluate after each season how he feels mentally, physically and emotionally, while also consulting his family on the matter.

"It is year-to-year because I think it's fair to the team, I think it's fair to me, my family — I don't want to sit there and say, OK, 24 months from now, I've got to be ready to play another football season," he said on former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year recipient and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long 's podcast, Green Light . "I'm like, phew, that just seems like a lot. I know that I'm ready to play this year. And hopefully, I feel great at the end of next year, and I'm ready to play another one after that. And then maybe we just kind of keep going like that. But, committing to more than that feels a little bit daunting. And I think a little bit unfair to the team and myself."

This offseason, Stafford signed an extension with the Rams , tying him to the team through 2027, when he will be 39. His birthday is February 7 and with the Super Bowl concluding the 2027 season on February 13, 2028, if the Rams make it all the way, he could play at 40 without an additional season.

He's no doubt closer to retirement than he is to his draft day, and as he decides whether he wants to keep going or hang the cleats up soon, he is consulting two of the greats who played into their 40s.

"I talked to [Brady] a little bit, I've talked to Drew Brees a little bit about it as well," Stafford said.

Brady played until he was 45, after coming out of retirement once, and is the second-oldest quarterback to ever play in a game, doing so with the Buccaneers . Brees played until 42, making him the ninth-oldest quarterback to play in NFL history. Raiders ' George Blanda is the oldest to ever play quarterback in the NFL at 48 years old.

While some see the late 30s as the beginning of the end for QBs, Brees told Stafford that the best was yet to come.

"I think one of the things that surprised me is, I was talking to Drew — this was before last season — and he was like, 'How old are you, again?' I was like, 'I'm 37.' He's like, 'You might have your best five years of your career coming up.' And I was like, 'Huh,'" Stafford said. "I never really thought about it that way. You're taught as a player in this league it's a young man's game and the older you get, you're just kind of doing everything you can to try to stay up to par with everybody else. And Drew saying that kind of lit a fire under me, and it give you a little bit of belief that maybe an old guy can go out there and spin it around a little bit."

Looking ahead, Stafford says it's important for him to take it one step at a time so he doesn't set himself up for something he doesn't want in the future.

"So, the last thing I want to do is sign some five-year extension, and after one year be like, 'Oh man, I'm ready to retire. I want to spend time with my family.' And they're sitting there with four years on the books and had a bunch of planning done that I was going to be around. I don't want to play football not all the way in it, too, and just be half-assed leading it," he said.

Right now, he said he's focused on the upcoming season.

"But, yeah, I don't know. I don't know how far I want to play. I know I'm excited about playing this year and then we'll see after that," Stafford said.

Last season, Stafford had a league-high 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, with eight interceptions.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/matthew-stafford-drops-retirement-hint-shares-longevity-advice-given-by-tom-brady-and-drew-brees/)._