Almost immediately after the Los Angeles Rams confirmed on Feb. 28 that quarterback Matthew Stafford had agreed to a revised contract to stay with the organization, reports mentioned the two sides would be taking things a year at a time.
On Monday night, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio explained how the details of Stafford’s deal show why the 37-year-old may have to find a new football home next winter if he wants to continue playing beyond the 2025 season.
“He ends up with $44M this year, with no guarantees beyond 2025 — for injury or otherwise,” Florio wrote about Stafford. “The Rams will have until the fifth day of the next league year in March, when his 2026 salary of $40M becomes fully guaranteed, to cut him. The Rams also will have the ability to trade Stafford since they’ll hold his contractual rights through 2026.”
Los Angeles let Stafford explore a trade following the club’s divisional round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but he ultimately accepted less money than what he could have received from the New York Giants or the Las Vegas Raiders because he “never really wanted to leave” the Rams this winter. While head coach Sean McVay seemingly wants to continue working with Stafford for at least “a couple more years,” Los Angeles said plenty when it didn’t give the signal-caller a multi-year commitment.
Some believe the Rams were planning to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the 26th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft until the Giants leapfrogged Los Angeles in the draft order to get Dart at choice No. 25. The Rams subsequently acquired an extra 2026 first-round pick during this year’s draft that could be used to land Stafford’s replacement.
“At $42M per year on his new contract,” Florio added, “Stafford currently ranks 15th in the NFL. And he’s still better than the 15th-best quarterback. And Stafford, unlike plenty of starting quarterbacks, is willing to play in the current year with no financial security beyond it.”
Specifically, Pro Football Reference stats show Stafford ended the 2024 regular season ranked 12th in the league with a 64.7 adjusted QBR, 11th with 235.1 passing yards per game, 13th with 3,762 yards through the air and tied for 15th with 20 passing touchdowns. He may need to produce better numbers from September 2025 through January 2026 to convince the Rams they shouldn’t go in a different direction regarding the sport’s most important position next offseason.
