The chasm that developed between the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford was about the money. Stafford didn’t have many guarantees left on his deal and was underpaid compared to other quarterbacks of his caliber. The two parties eventually agreed to an adjusted contract at/around the NFL Scouting Combine in February. But the terms of the new deal – two years, $84 million – were just revealed on Tuesday.
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Stafford had many teams courting him while his 2025 status was in flux. It makes sense; Super Bowl-winning signal-callers don’t grow on trees. Rebuilding franchises and borderline contenders both spoke to Stafford throughout the offseason. And according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, two were willing to pay a lot of money to bring him to town.
On Tuesday’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show, Breer discussed Stafford’s new deal. He told Eisen he viewed the result as what should come from all good negotiations: a meeting somewhere in the middle. And that especially rings true when you consider New York’s and Las Vegas’ attempts at acquiring him.
“It’s a compromise. That’s the way I look at it. He could have gotten a lot more money in… [Las Vegas] and New York. The Giants and Raiders both wanted to go over $50 million a year over the next two years to get him… he chose to take less money to stay in Los Angeles, which was the Rams’ bet all along.” – Albert Breer
Los Angeles has always operated a bit differently than other organizations under general manager Les Snead. First, it was their “F them picks” draft mentality. Their handling of Stafford harkens back to the way they negotiated with another franchise icon.
Albert Breer: Matthew Stafford contract reminiscent of Aaron Donald’s last “extension”
In 2018, Aaron Donald signed a six-year, $135 million contract to remain with the Los Angeles Rams. Three years later, he signed another “extension” worth $95 million over three seasons. However, Donald wasn’t tied to the Rams through 2027 after the deal. He was still inked until 2024, which is when his original extension ended.
In the process, Donald received roughly a $9.1 million raise in annual salary. This Stafford deal functions in the same way. He agreed to a four-year, $160 million contract back in 2022. Now, two seasons later, he has another two-year pact. But he’s still only slated to remain in Los Angeles through 2026. Breer pointed out the similarities while chatting with Eisen.
“The deal to redo Aaron Donald three years ago was borderline unprecedented. They gave Aaron Donald $40 million in additional money without adding any term to his contract and they’ve essentially done the same thing here… it’s the Rams doing something fair for Stafford that doesn’t totally blow everything up for them.” – Albert Breer
The adjusted contract is a win-win for franchise and player. The Rams ultimately managed to keep their franchise quarterback happy and remain a Super Bowl contender. Stafford got the money he was seeking without having to uproot his family, and also remains with a Super Bowl contender. If they get to hoist another Lombardi Trophy together next February, everyone will forget about his new price tag.
