Matthew Stafford’s ageless class is one of the stories of the 2025 NFL season

At an age when most NFL quarterbacks are quietly nailing down retirement plans, Matthew Stafford is busy reminding everyone that true class knows no expiration date.

Nine games into the Los Angeles Rams’ 2025 regular season campaign, the veteran signal-caller is having the best year of his career – and it’s turning into one of the more compelling narratives in the league.

Here, we break down Stafford’s rise from preseason question mark to frontrunner in the race to become the 2025 MVP.

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Heading into the 2025 NFL season, there were doubts. Stafford had missed significant training camp time with a back injury and whispers of trade interest swirled. The Rams allowed his representatives to test the market before reworking his deal.

But instead of declining or cruising in the veteran phase, Stafford has flipped the script. Through the first nine games, he leads the NFL with 25 passing touchdowns, has thrown only two interceptions and is completing 67.1 per cent of his passes, with a passer rating of 114.8.

Beyond the numbers, consider the vintage Stafford moments of 2025. In London at Wembley on October 19, he tossed five touchdowns in a dominant 35-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He followed that up with back-to-back four-TD efforts, including a 42-26 thumping of the San Francisco 49ers on November 9. That kind of production blends efficiency, explosiveness and poise.

But this isn’t only about stats. Stafford has reshaped his team’s trajectory. At 7-2, the Rams sit very firmly in NFC contender territory, largely because of his steady hand and laser accuracy. He’s overcoming the early-season murmurings about trade status or decline and is making a serious argument that his best football might still be ahead of him.

What makes Stafford’s resurgence especially resonant is that it comes at an age when many peers are winding down. He turned 37 this year, and yet the arm is crisp, the decisions sharp and the results elite. In doing so he’s nudged past several younger quarterbacks in the MVP conversation simply by being the most consistent, dependable and ‘win-now’ option in the league.

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Stafford became only the 10th quarterback in NFL history to surpass 60,000 passing yards in Week 1. He now stands at 2,427 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and just two picks through nine games in 2025. That kind of output puts him among the very best of the season and firmly in the MVP-frontrunner frame.

In the end, this story is more than numbers. It’s about a veteran refusing to fade, about a franchise that bet on experience delivering under pressure and about the craft of quarterbacking being timeless.

Stafford’s rhythm, his poise in the pocket, his connection with his receivers – they all speak to a player who understands both his own legacy and his moment. The Rams are riding that narrative hard, and why shouldn’t they? With Matthew Stafford orchestrating, they have both the résumé and the runway for something special.

If the 2025 season ends anywhere near the way it’s trending, Stafford won’t merely be adding another accolade to his Hall of Fame case – he’ll be leaving yet another reminder that class, skill and savvy don’t care about age.