LA seems happy to continue their relationship with the veteran quarterback past this season, but on their terms
Reports of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looking for more guaranteed money on his contract past this season came as a bit of a surprise, as the veteran QB is signed to the team through 2026. However, the problem from Stafford’s perspective is that on his current deal there is no longer any real guaranteed monetary commitment from the team after the 2024 season, as most of his secured money has been paid, leaving him open to trade or release after this season if the Rams chose make a move.
While it’s highly unlikely that LA has any intentions of releasing or trading Stafford, it’s also hard to imagine the team is in love with the idea of committing long-term to a 36-year-old quarterback who has dealt with some major injuries the past two seasons. The Rams have been able to keep the issue in-house thus far, choosing to neither confirm or deny Stafford’s request, but it would seem some recent quotes by head coach Sean McVay show there is at least some truth to the rumors.
In regards to his quarterback, McVay said to Adam Schein of SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio this week:
“We were taking it a year at a time, but as long as he wants to play, we’re fortunate to have him as our quarterback.”
Stafford joined the team in 2021 after a trade with the Detroit Lions and immediately had success, winning Super Bowl LVI, the second championship in franchise history. After an injury plagued 2022 that saw Stafford go down with both elbow and spinal injuries, trade and retirement rumors swirled, but the Rams signal caller returned and bounced back in 2023, leading Los Angeles to a 10-7 record, while earning a playoff berth and the second Pro Bowl nod of his career.
McVay has mentioned on multiple occasions that he loves having Stafford as his QB, and I don’t think the Rams have any plans of moving on from him, especially considering they did not take any quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft and Stafford is still playing at an extremely high level. Even so, father time is undefeated, and after being burned by previous long-term commitments to players like Todd Gurley, Jared Goff and Jalen Ramsey, past missteps looks to have made the team more wary about shelling out big guarantees on older players.
Stafford will be the Rams quarterback for 2024, but after this season it could get more murky. That said, LA should be major contenders heading into the year, and winning can remedy most situations. If the Rams and Stafford can manage to bring home another Lombardi Trophy together, that may make a decision on commitment a tad easier to make.
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