Matthew Stafford's immediate future in Los Angeles was solidified when he and the Rams agreed to restructure his contract early in the offseason, but it's still no guarantee he'll be on the field for Week 1 of the 2025 season.
The veteran quarterback is dealing with a back injury, and head coach Sean McVay indicated Saturday that Stafford still isn't ready to practice.
Moving forward, Stafford is set to be evaluated week-by-week as the 2025 campaign inches closer.
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Here's the latest on Stafford's health and when he could return to action.
MORE: The Rams' full QB depth chart following Matthew Stafford injury news
Matthew Stafford injury update
McVay revealed Saturday that Stafford will practice on Monday, after throwing about 60 passes ahead of Saturday's preseason opener against the Cowboys.
Looking forward to progressing him back into practice on Monday," McVay told reporters.
Stafford did not practice this past week due to "back soreness." He did not experience an injury setback, per Sarah Barshop. The team's goal remains for him to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.
"He had a little bit of soreness in his back that kind of crept up," McVay originally said of Stafford on Tuesday, per Stu Jackson. "He's been throwing, feeling good. It's not anything that's necessarily new, something that he's dealt with before. Going into Year 17, we were going to take a modified approach with him, kind of similar to what we did in the offseason program."
Until Saturday, the expectation was that Stafford would begin practicing on Monday for the first time. For now, that step will be delayed.
Stafford, who did miss seven games in 2022 due to a back injury, has remained healthy for the most part since then. Durability is always a concern with aging quarterbacks, especially one with some injury history like Stafford, but he's remained an elite passer for the last few seasons while staying healthy.
For now, there's no immediate concern for Stafford, as McVay said he "absolutely" expects him to be ready for the regular season. But the longer the team has to delay his return to the practice field, the more his Week 1 status could wind up being in peril.
Stafford was expected back at practice on Monday, August 11. He was there, technically, but showed up in street clothes.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford (back) is in street clothes today. Expectation was he would return to practice today
— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) August 11, 2025
Instead of practicing, Stafford was seen going into an "Ammortal chamber." While it looks like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Dragon Ball Z, it is actually a "wellness device that aims to optimize human performance and promote holistic health through a combination of non-invasive technologies."
Matthew Stafford walked into this Ammortal chamber. Ammortal advertises itself as a "wellness device that aims to optimize human performance and promote holistic health through a combination of non-invasive technologies." He is not practicing today. pic.twitter.com/KQ2GEmUk0Q
— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) August 11, 2025
Matthew Stafford stats
Stafford is coming off an outstanding 2024 season in which he helped lead the Rams to a playoff berth before a close loss in the divisional round to Philadelphia. At the beginning of the offseason, he was given permission to speak with other teams during an ongoing contract dispute, but Stafford and the Rams wound up settling on a revised contract that kept him around.
Here's a look at Stafford's 2024 numbers:
| Games | Completions-Attempts | Comp. % | Passing Yards | Yards per Attempt | Pass TDs | INTs | Rating | Rush Yards | Rush TDs |
| 16 | 340-517 | 65.8% | 3,762 | 7.3 | 20 | 8 | 93.7 | 41 | 0 |