Update emerges on Matthew Stafford's elbow injury

Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford has been dealing with a tendon issue in his elbow for some time now, and the Los Angeles Rams are holding him out of training camp while he nurses the injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport clarified the status of Stafford and where he is on the road to recovery on a recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show.

“This is not nothing,” Rapoport said to McAfee. “You know, it’s a quarterback – I mean look, it’s a Super Bowl champion who is not throwing, there’s going to be several practices where he’s not going to throw. It was described to me as throwers elbow, which is basically a pitcher injury where you have a tendon issue in your elbow and you have to kind of manage it.”

The injury is one that has been nagging Stafford for some time, now. Over the offseason, he’s received anti-inflammatory shots in his right elbow hoping to heel the tendon, though continues to be a problem for him as training camp gets underway.

After helping lead the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl LVI victory, Stafford effectively rewrote the trajectory of his career. Stafford spent 12 seasons in Detroit trying to heave the Lions towards success. He was traded to LA last offseason and did exactly what Sean McVay and the franchise hoped he’d do as the Rams’ upgrade at quarterback.

Not only did Stafford help lead the Rams to their second Super Bowl appearance in the last five years but helped them win it as well. And now, Stafford is being handsomely rewarded for his efforts with a four-year, $160 million extension that includes $135 million guaranteed that should allow the veteran signal caller to finish his career in Los Angeles.

While still dealing with the injury last year, Stafford ended up throwing for the third-most yards in a season of his career with 4,886. He also threw a career-high tying 41 touchdowns. All those throws also put a strain on this elbow injury that the team needed to take care of this summer.

“I don’t I don’t know if it’s something different from tennis elbow, all I know is it was described as like a bad tendinitis,” Rapoport said. “Basically a tendon issue in his elbow … It’s not quite where he needs it to be. I think they’re gonna manage it and be okay. But anytime your quarterback is not throwing it is important and something worth watching.

Depending on how his elbow progresses, Stafford’s injury could continue to nag him through the start of the regular season – though, he’s already proven that he can perform with the injury holding him back.