Stafford, now at full health, says he’s refreshed

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — A year ago, as the Los Angeles Rams began their offseason program, quarterback Matthew Stafford wasn’t cleared to throw as he dealt with an elbow injury.

When he spoke Monday at the start of the Rams’ voluntary offseason program, he noted the difference in being back now and said it’s “fun” for him to “be as refreshed as I am coming back into this building.”

Stafford, who played in nine games last season before ending the year on injured reserve with a spinal cord contusion, confirmed on Monday what others in the organization have said this offseason: that he’s healthy and a full-go for the offseason program.

“I’m not 25, but I definitely feel good,” said Stafford, who turned 35 in February.

In 2022, coming off a Super Bowl victory, Stafford did not throw at all during the offseason program and was on a limited throwing schedule during training camp. On Monday, Stafford said he has been “in a good head space as far as how I’m feeling [and] what I’m able to accomplish while I’m here” while in the building this offseason.

“And that puts me in a good mood, gets me excited to be here and kind of helps me make sure that my attitude, my energy level, is at the correct place every single time I come in here,” Stafford said. “And I feel like it’s there right now.”

When asked if that wasn’t the case last year, Stafford said it was because he “wasn’t able to do much. And that’s frustrating for me.

“I wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do,” he said. “We handed the ball off on every play or whatever. I didn’t throw all offseason. That’s kind of frustrating for a guy that likes to do that. So, it’s kind of nice that I’ll be able to go out there and have a much more normal offseason experience and be able to be out there and do what I love to do.”

Twice last season, Stafford was in the concussion protocol, before eventually ending up on injured reserve. In nine games, he threw for 2,087 yards, with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

On Monday, Stafford said he was “ready to go [and] ready to play” as soon as he was cleared. He said he’s been throwing with his teammates “a decent amount leading up” to the offseason program, and though he’s “not probably a human JUGS machine like I used to be, [I] can still get it out there and throw it around a bunch.

“So, it’ll be a process as it always is to try and stay as healthy as you possibly can at all times. But I definitely feel like I can go out there and compete and do everything I want to do, which is fun and exciting for me.”