Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is hitting a big roadblock ahead of what could be his final NFL season.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback has been dealing with back soreness and will be returning to practice later than the team initially anticipated, head coach Sean McVay revealed on Saturday. While McVay said Stafford is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, the latest setback adds more uncertainty for the 37-year-old.

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‘Smart’ to Keep Matthew Stafford Out Longer

The Rams had initially anticipated that Stafford would be ready to join his teammates at the start of training camp, but McVay said on Saturday that it would be “the smart thing to do a week at a time with him.”

“I don’t think we can be smart enough with somebody like Matthew and I think it’s best for him, best for our football team, and that’s kind of the plan that we’ll have moving forward,” McVay said, via ESPN.

Stafford saw a resurgence in his career since the 2021 blockbuster trade that sent him from Detroit to Los Angeles. He led the Rams to a Super Bowl in his first season, then led the team through a rapid rebuild that included a win in last year’s wild card playoff round.

Stafford completed 65.8% of his passes for 2,762 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions last season, leading the Rams to a 10-6 record. He signed a two-year contract extension prior to this season, but the Rams said it would be a year-to-year decision whether he would continue his career or retire.

McVay said Stafford would be taking a slow approach in his rehab, with the team working individually with him as teammates work together in training camp.

“We were going to take a modified approach with him, kind of similar to what we did in the offseason program, so we’ll allow him to just work kind of off to the side on his own, get himself feeling as good as possible,” McVay said. “He feels good about that, I feel good about that, and ultimately it’s about having him feel as good as possible mentally, physically, emotionally, going into Year 17.”

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Lions Looking to Break Through With Matthew Stafford’s Trade Partner

The blockbuster trade worked out well for the Lions as well, giving the team its new franchise quarterback in Jared Goff. He saw a career turnaround with the Lions, earning a four-year extension last year worth a total of $212 million.

Goff has led the team to back-to-back NFC North titles, though the team’s season ended in disappointment last season as they earned the No. 1 overall seed and a first-round playoff bye but fell to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round.

Though the Lions are still pegged as a favorite to win the NFC North and considered a Super Bowl contender, the team must deal with the loss of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell warned that it could be a difficult road back to contention this season.

“I told those guys, this may have been our only shot,” Campbell said, via CBS Sports. “Do I think that? No. Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I’m well aware. And it’s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year. That’s the reality.”