Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford’s contract details have emerged. They arrive long after the two sides agreed to the deal. The two sides only finalized the agreement in recent days.
Stafford was on a four-year, $160 million contract. He is now effectively on a two-year, $80 million deal, $84 million including a previously paid roster bonus.
That final number got Sports Illustrated senior writer Albert Breer’s attention.
“He really wanted to stay in Southern California,” Breer wrote on May 6. “His new deal gives him a nice bump over what he was making, for sure, and is the sort of contract adjustment teams only give to players they value at the highest level.
“That said, the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders were willing to go a lot further, into the area where the average on a new contract would start with a five.”
“It’s … significantly less than he could’ve made. With the Raiders and Giants willing to exceed $100 million over the next two years, he walked away from around $20 million stay in California,” Breer wrote. “You can say, Well, look how much he’s made already! But $20 million is $20 million. And so that makes this a little like the final deals that Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Tom Brady signed—where those guys took a little less to stay put.”
Stafford still did quite well for himself despite lingering questions about his future with the Rams.
“At signing, after the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, that deal was billed as a four-year, $160 million extension, worth $183 million over its five years,” Breer wrote. “After all these machinations, if Stafford plays the next two years, he’ll wind up having made $209.015 million from 2022 to ’26.”
Matthew Stafford Passed on ‘Significantly’ More Money for Rams Return
GettyMatthew Stafford could have received a deal worth more than $100 million over two years from rival teams this offseason.
Breer broke down the Rams QB’s contract, noting the $80 million due over the next two seasons and a $4 million roster bonus paid out in March that was a remnant of the previous iteration of the deal.
The deal also has four $6 million roster option bonuses that allow the team “flexibility.”
Stafford’s new-look Rams deal has a base salary of $16 million this season, follows the same structure for next season, and will become fully guaranteed on the “fifth day of the league year.”
Breer noted that Stafford received a “healthy” raise, comparing the “rare deal” to that of former Rams star Aaron Donald. The deal gave Stafford more money without adding more years.
There are eight void years at the end of it, though.
Matthew Stafford Gets Honest About Outside Interest
GettyMatthew Stafford appreciated the interest from other teams this offseason.
Stafford said he would like to stay with the Rams during an appearance on his wife’s “The Morning After” podcast.
“I’m lucky to play an important position in our game, right? Probably one of the more important positions on the field,” Stafford said. “It’s a valued position in our league. And so anytime there’s even perceived availability, it’s going to draw attention. But yeah, it’s humbling” Stafford said on “The Morning After” podcast on March 6.
“It can sometimes feel like such a negative. It’s a tough thing. You’re going through all these things. But at the same time, was talking to somebody, and they kind of gave me the perspective of like, ‘Man, this is such a positive time in your life,’ right? ‘You’re 37 years old, going into your 17th NFL season, and somebody still wants you to be on their team.’ And that’s a rare occurrence and something I don’t take for granted, I don’t take lightly.”
“I just know I’m excited to be back,” Stafford said, per The Orange County Register’s Adam Grosbard on March 5 in reaction to comments from Rams general manager Les Snead about “renewing their vows” after the deal was agreed upon.
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