Getty

Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts during the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Los Angeles Rams only fueled the stir around their decision to select Ty Simson 13th overall in the 2026 draft by extending Matthew Stafford.

Former starting offensive tackle Rob Havenstein was one of the few remaining St. Louis Rams in the league, and the last one on the Rams, before retiring this offseason. He won a Super Bowl blocking for Stafford in 2021.

Havenstein spoke candidly about Stafford and the Rams’ decision to extend him this offseason.

Former Rams Teammate Sends Strong Message on Matthew Stafford

The Rams gave Stafford a one-year, $55 million extension, securing the reigning Most Valuable Player’s services through the 2027 season, as long as he does not retire.

“I’m excited it happened,” Havenstein recently said during an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Matthew’s a wonderful human being, an even better football player–or, the other way around. You know what I mean. But the fact that it got done this early makes me happy, so we can not talk about it for a while.”

Asked if there was a moment where he could tell Stafford was different than the other QBs that he played with, cited seeing “the ball come out of his hands just during practice.” He also noted Stafford’s “command of the huddle.”

Havenstein said it was that way with Stafford from the beginning, with “absolutely zero drop.”

“There’s just certain guys who have a certain spin to the ball and a certain release, and they’re just working on such little fine details,” Havenstein said of Stafford. “The no-look passes show up in practice all the time. And you have to rewind the film just a bit. ‘Wait, did he just no-look that?’ You watch it just during the week on a red zone period, and you’re like, ‘Oh, man! That’s pretty cool.’ And then, it shows up in the game.

“You could tell he’s obviously been doing it at a high level for a long time, and it just showed day in and day out. And he’s just an unbelievable quarterback.”

Matthew Stafford Extension Framed in Negative Light

Despite the Rams’ assertion that Stafford is their starting QB until he decides to walk away, including head coach Sean McVay saying that they are operating on a year-to-year basis in cooperation with–not opposition to–the veteran, questions remain.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and The Arena: Gridiron’s Skip Bayless both framed the one-year pact as a bad thing for Stafford.

Florio noted it gave the Rams final say, and if a return to the Detroit Lions was possible.

Bayless argued that the decision “does not add up,” citing the Rams agreeing to let Stafford’s camp explore the QB’s trade value before the two sides agreed to his re-worked two-year, $80 million pact last offseason.

“The Dan Patrick Show” host Dan Patrick also questioned the Rams’ decision to select Simpson if they believed Stafford was going to play for two more years.

Rams Planning Ahead

McVay and the Rams have left pundits scratching their heads over their decisions to extend Stafford and draft Simpson.

However, there is precedent for their moves, even without factoring in Stafford’s injury history.

The Green Bay Packers have been frequently cited as the prime example of what the Rams are trying to accomplish with Stafford and Simpson, having reared Jordan Love under Aaron Rodgers, who got to sit behind Brett Favre until his time came.

The Rams believe a similar arc is possible for Simpson, who has expressed his excitement to learn under McVay and behind Stafford in the meantime.

Havenstein called Stafford and McVay “psychopaths in their own right” and “apex competitors.”

Their synergy on the field is born through a strong bond off it, which includes having difficult conversations about the Rams drafting Simpson. McVay has insisted Stafford emerged from those talks with a sense of understanding about the Rams’ decision.