Les Snead didn’t need a red carpet or a fancy ballroom seat at NFL Honors to feel the weight of the moment. All he needed was a phone screen, a Cabo sunset, and the sight of Matthew Stafford holding an MVP trophy that validated one of the boldest bets in modern NFL history.

The Los Angeles Rams general manager has made plenty of trades during his tenure, but none altered the franchise’s DNA quite like the one in 2021. Jared Goff, two first-round picks, future flexibility — all shipped out the door for a quarterback Snead believed could tilt the league. When he famously shrugged and said “f— them picks,” it wasn’t bravado. It was conviction.

Matthew Stafford accepts the AP Most Valuable Player awardduring the NFL Honors. AP

 Les Snead G.M. of the Rams during an NFL game between the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Rams on November 12, 2017. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Four years later, that conviction stared back at him in real time.

While vacationing in Mexico with his wife, Snead livestreamed the NFL Honors ceremony as Stafford was named the 2025 NFL Most Valuable Player.

Stafford’s numbers told the story — 4,707 passing yards, a career-high 46 touchdowns, command of one of the league’s most lethal offenses — but the moment went far deeper than stats. This wasn’t just an MVP. It was affirmation.

It likely hit even harder when Stafford thanked Snead by name during his acceptance speech. General managers rarely get flowers on national television.Stafford made sure Snead did. And for someone whose job is often judged in draft charts and cap spreadsheets, that acknowledgment carried weight.

The California Post is here. Sign up for Morning Report.

Get the perfect blend of news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

Thanks for signing up!

Then came the line that turned joy into relief.

Stafford, amid months of retirement speculation, announced he was coming back for an 18th season in 2026. Just like that, the Rams’ immediate future snapped into focus. Snead wasn’t just watching his quarterback win MVP — he was watching his own job get easier. No frantic succession plan. No scrambling for the next answer at the game’s hardest position. The championship-caliber quarterback was returning.

GM Les Snead, on vacation somewhere, watching his QB Matthew Stafford get named NFL MVP. Instagram/Kara Henderson Snead

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!

Prior to the video going viral, Snead, Stafford, Rams’ head coach Sean McVay, and other players were all in Cabo together with their wives. Stafford and McVay flew separately with their families to San Francisco to be ready for the big night. 

But whether you were at the NFL Honors ceremony, or still sipping margaritas on a beach in Cabo, one message still rang true: that Snead’s gamble in trading for Stafford didn’t just pay off, it has now brought a Super Bowl ring and MVP vindication.