Matthew Stafford is returning to the Los Angeles Rams for at least one more year after the sides were able to agree to a restructured contract earlier this offseason.
Stafford originally joined the Rams after the 2020 season in the blockbuster trade that sent Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions.
Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl in his first season with the team and has guided them to the playoffs in all but one year as their starting quarterback.
Quentin Lake was drafted by the Rams after their Super Bowl win and believes Stafford will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after he retires, via TMZ:
“Oh, 100%. Easily, easily a Hall of Famer… I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll be wearing a gold jacket whenever he retires. Got a Super Bowl, has had a fantastic career, great father, great teammate. In my mind, no doubt about it, he’ll be a Hall of Famer.”
Stafford has played in 16 NFL seasons, including the last four with the Rams. Despite underperforming at times with the Lions, he has certainly found a career resurgence in L.A.
In addition to his success on the field, Stafford has been lauded by several Rams teammates for the leadership he provides.
The 37-year-old is a two-time Pro Bowler and among the top 10 in passing yards and passing touchdowns in NFL history. He has thrown for 59,809 yards and 377 touchdowns in 222 career NFL games.
Stafford will earn $44 million with the Rams during the 2025 season. He is also set to male $40 million in 2026 but needs to be on the team’s roster before the start of the next free agency period.
Matthew Stafford never wanted to leave Rams
It appeared for a moment that Matthew Stafford could leave the Rams for a new team in 2025. However, L.A. stepped up and ensured he would return for a fifth season with the franchise.
Stafford said he is happy to put his contract situation behind him. “It’s great to have that done and kind of out of the way as we get this thing going,” Stafford said earlier this offseason.
“Just obviously happy that I’m going to be coming back and doing it again here, which is great.”
Stafford also admitted that he never wanted to leave the Rams and is happy to be back in L.A. “Never really wanted to leave,” he said. “So just happy to be back, and happy that the Rams want me back and we can move forward and hopefully have a great season.”
