Why Kelly Stafford Is Watching Matthew Stafford’s 18th NFL Season Like It Could Be the Final Chapter (Getty Images)
Speaking to PEOPLE shortly after the Rams’ opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia on September 10, Kelly was candid about the mindset she is carrying into the 2026 season. “It’s been 18 years now. Matthew Stafford , 38, was the Detroit Lions’ first overall pick back in 2009. He spent 12 seasons in Detroit before the trade to Los Angeles in 2021, where he wasted no time — winning a Super Bowl in his very first year with the Rams. Kelly, 37, says that shift with the girls has made this season feel more precious than any before. Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news , check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule .
Because she genuinely does not know when the final game will come, she is mentally marking firsts and lasts — last time in a particular stadium, last time against a certain team –.
“Every season now I will say I’m treating it like the last,” she said. “Now that all of my girls understand football and what their dad does — that is truly special, ’cause a lot of guys don’t get to this point where their kids are this old,” she told PEOPLE. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines “Who knows if it is, ’cause I never know,” she admitted. The sideline moments, she says, fill something in her that she is already bracing to lose.
Kelly Stafford has watched her husband play professional football for nearly two decades. She has stood on sidelines, packed up homes, raised four daughters largely on her own during seasons, and cheered through a Super Bowl. Eighteen years in, something has shifted. Not the love for the game, but the awareness of how little time may be left. It’s been a wild, wild ride. Why is Kelly Stafford treating Matthew’s 18th NFL season like it could be his last? The football resume is almost complete. Now, with four daughters old enough to understand what their father actually does for a living, the stakes feel different. Twins Sawyer and Chandler are nine. Hunter is eight. Tyler is six. They show up to games in spirited outfits, sprint to their dad before kickoff, and have apparently started lobbying against retirement. “They’re the ones that are like, ‘Daddy, you can’t not play. What do you mean? You have to play,'” Kelly laughed. What does Kelly Stafford say about attending Rams games with her daughters this season? Kelly’s approach this year is almost deliberate in its mindfulness. “I just love watching him play. I really do. It’s one of my favorite things in life — to watch him do what he loves. “The feeling of taking the girls to the game and watching their dad run over — that fills my soul with so much joy. I’m going to completely miss it when it’s gone so much, but I also have to prepare for that moment. For now, she is not rushing that preparation. “Treating this season like it’s the last of everything. That’s how I’m looking at it right now. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.