A report by the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke during the 2024 NFL Draft and indicated that Matthew Stafford was unhappy with the current structure of his contract and was seeking additional guarantees and security beyond this season. This storyline dominated offseason news coverage surrounding the Los Angeles Rams, especially leading up to training camp when many wondered whether Stafford would sit out of practice until a deal was struck.
All indications are that a contract adjustment between the Rams and Stafford went down to the wire and the deadline for players to report to camp. The media praised the team and the quarterback for getting a deal done and framed it as a win-win situation.
But ultimately, if the media’s reports were accurate about Stafford’s intentions, he didn’t get the security beyond 2024 that he was seeking. Instead, we were told that Stafford’s complaints were in no way related to the signal caller wanting more money for this upcoming season—the opposite ended up holding true.
According to a recent report by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the revised deal increases “2024 pay into the $40M range, but (lessens) his guarantees in 2025 allowing both sides to decide whether they want to remain married at that point.”
#Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s revised contract:
$12.5M signing bonus
$23.5M guaranteed 2024 salary
$4M guaranteed March roster bonusEffectively, it’s a one-year, $40 million deal. He gave up his other 2025 guarantees. Translation: Play this season and then all sides reassess. pic.twitter.com/sZeqxAIRLa
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 30, 2024
So how did the reports on talks between the Rams and Stafford get the final result so wrong? Maybe the quarterback’s priorities changed over the course of the offseason and life beyond 2024 came into better focus. One thing we know is that Sean McVay played an important role in the contract talks—did he out negotiate Stafford’s camp in order to keep his options open next year as to who will be under center in Los Angeles? The bottom line is that the quarterback didn’t come away from the bargaining table having met the goals he had made public and filtered through the media.
Fowler’s report also mentions Jimmy Garoppolo as potential “insurance” should Stafford separate from the team after this upcoming season. Jimmy G is probably the best backup Stafford’s had over his career, whether with the Detroit Lions or in LA. Is the driver of their decision to invest more heavily in backup QB Stafford’s age and recent injury history or the team keeping one eye opened toward the future?
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