Who Should I Start? Matthew Stafford or Sam Darnold

Tuesday, January 27, 11:31 AM

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said after the Los Angeles Rams' loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship on Sunday that quarterback Matthew Stafford plans to return for the 2026 season. But on Monday's new episode of the Let's Go podcast, Stafford made it sound like he's still contemplating retirement. "It'll be a lot that goes into it," Stafford told Jim Gray. "It's a physical, a mental, and emotional decision, a personal and a family decision as well. So, we'll figure all that kind of stuff out with some time." The 37-year-old is the front-runner to win the 2025 NFL MVP award after leading the league in passing yards (4,707), touchdown passes (46), touchdown percentage (7.7%), and yards per game (276.9) in 17 regular-season starts. It was arguably the best year of his 17-year career, so he'll most likely run it back in 2026, when he'll be a popular QB1 target as he looks for another Lombardi Trophy.

Wednesday, January 28, 6:19 PM

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (oblique) was listed as a limited participant on the team's Wednesday practice estimation, according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Darnold suffered a left-oblique injury in practice leading up to the Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, but he ended up playing. The 28-year-old wasn't really needed in the 41-6 blowout win, but he bounced back for fantasy managers in the NFC Championship victory over the Los Angeles Rams to throw for a season-high 346 yards and three touchdowns on 25-for-36 passing. Darnold has plenty of time to rest his oblique before the Super Bowl showdown against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 8. Seattle is the favorite over New England, and Darnold's oblique injury shouldn't be an issue at all as he looks for his first Super Bowl ring.