super bowl lvi

For nearly all of his 11 seasons, Rob Havenstein was a Rams mainstay at right tackle.

He started two Super Bowls, winning one, and provided sage wisdom and experience for younger players in what would be his final season in 2025.

On Tuesday, Havenstein, 33, announced he was retiring.

“What a ride it’s been!” Havenstein wrote in a post on Instagram. “I can look back on my career and smile knowing I have given everything I had and more to the game I love.

“In saying that, I am officially retiring from the NFL.”

Havenstein, the longest-tenured Rams player on the roster last season, thanked his teammates and coaches, the Rams organization and his parents and wife for their support.

The 6-foot-8 Havenstein, grew up in Maryland and was a second-round pick by the Rams out of Wisconsin in 2015.

He started 13 games as a rookie, and then moved with the team from St. Louis to Los Angeles.

Havenstein started 148 regular-season games and 13 playoff games, including the Rams’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium to cap the 2021 season.

Due to injuries, Havenstein was limited to 14 games in 2023, 11 in 2024 and seven this past season.

Yet the four-time captain was a constant presence, and helped Warren McClendon Jr. develop into a consistent starter.

After the season, coach Sean McVay described Havenstein and tight end Tyler Higbee, who also completed the final year of his contract, as “all-time Rams.” McVay said the team would give the players time to digest the season and decide what might be next.

For Havenstein, that is retirement.

“As this chapter ends,” he wrote, “I couldn’t be more grateful, hopeful, and excited to see what comes next!”

SAN FRANCISCO — Matthew Stafford’s name is already all over the NFL record book.

Add another milestone to the Rams quarterback’s achievements.

On Thursday night, Stafford was announced as the NFL most valuable player during NFL Honors at the Palace of Fine Arts.

The 17-year veteran finished ahead of New England quarterback Drake Maye in balloting by a panel of 50 journalists who regularly cover the NFL. The panel is assembled by the Associated Press. Los Angeles Times reporters do not participate in voting for awards.

During his acceptance speech, Stafford thanks his wife, Kelly, and daughters along with teammates, who he pointed at some in the audience and said he looked forward to playing with them again next season.

Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, passed for a league-best 46 touchdowns and 4,707 yards.

Stafford led the Rams to a 12-5 record and directed an offense that led the league in scoring and yards per game. He was voted first-team All-Pro.

“He’s the epitome of an igniter,” Rams coach Sean McVay said this week. “He’s just this incredibly humble superstar that has the ability to make everybody feel better when you’re around him. … I know I’m biased, but I can remove my bias and say I think he was the best player in the NFL this year.”

Stafford also engineered late winning drives in playoff victories over the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears before the Rams suffered a 31-27 defeat by the Seahawks in the NFC championship.

Stafford, the top pick in the 2009 draft, played 12 seasons for the Detroit Lions before he was traded to the Rams in 2021 for Jared Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round pick.

In his first season with the Rams, Stafford led them to victory in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.

Stafford ranks sixth all-time in completions (5,562), yards passing (64,516) and is seventh in touchdown passes (423).

Maye, 23, is a second-year pro who will play against the Seahawks on Sunday in Super Bowl LX. Maye led the Patriots to a 14-3 record — including an 8-0 road mark — and completed a league-leading and franchise record 72% of his passes. He passed for 31 touchdowns, with eight interceptions, and also rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns.