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The Los Angeles Rams fell short in the NFC championship on Sunday, and head coach Sean McVay showed a rare moment of frustration when asked postgame about quarterback Matthew Stafford’s future.
Stafford, who turns 38 in two weeks, is coming off what was arguably the best season of his career. He is one of five finalists for the MVP award and widely viewed as one of the two leading candidates to win it.
After leading the league in passing yards (4,707) and touchdowns (46) during the regular season, Stafford threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC championship. Despite his performance, the Seattle Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl.
Based on comments Stafford has made this week, all signs point toward him returning for an 18th NFL season. Still, McVay made it clear he was frustrated that Stafford’s future was even being questioned.
“Yeah, if he still wants to play. What the hell kind of question is that?” McVay snapped at a reporter postgame.
“You’d have to ask him,” he added. “We’ve been totally present. If he wants to, he’s still playing a pretty damn good clip.”
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The other quarterback in the MVP race is Drake Maye, who led the New England Patriots past the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship earlier in the day.
Despite the competition, McVay emphatically backed his quarterback.
“He’s the MVP of the league and if he’s not … I got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level this year that’s just different.”
The NFL MVP award will be announced at NFL Honors on the Thursday before Super Bowl Sunday.
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