Rams Plan To Keep Matthew Stafford Around A While

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford just turned 33, but his new team thinks he can be effective for many years to come, especially with the track record of quarterbacks in the NFL in recent years.

Stafford's contract runs through the 2022 season, and the 33-year-old quarterback appears to be the Rams' long-term choice.

Rams General Manager Les Snead gave a timeline for the team’s future with Stafford and said the team envisions the No. 1 overall pick from the 2009 NFL Draft playing for the Rams well beyond his current contract, ProFootballRumors.com reports.

“I don’t think we did it thinking two years,” Snead said of the trade, per ProFootballRumors.com. “Based on his age, you can legitimately think five to seven, eight years, if you look at what Drew has done. I don’t know if we’re going to get into Tom Brady, right? Too many things going. But with quarterbacks of his pedigree, a lot of those guys have played into their late 30s, for sure."

Snead said that was "definitely the vision" when acquiring Stafford in the blockbuster trade earlier this year.

“To do a move of that magnitude involving quarterbacks, specifically involving Jared, there definitely needed to be a Matthew Stafford on the other end,” Snead said. “We were not going to be stronger by moving Jared for a draft pick, per se. That wasn’t the case, and I think it did take someone of Matt Stafford’s pedigree, ability, experience, all those things, skill set to make that move.”