NFL players don’t get paid quite as much as their counterparts in the NBA or MLB. That’s not to say they’re not compensated handsomely. And if you play quarterback and start for your team, then you’re laughing, financially speaking.
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Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford is one of those well-paid signal callers, and he ensured his financial security again during the 2025 offseason. Stafford, who didn’t have much time left on his contract, wanted a restructuring that would provide him with more guaranteed money over the next year or two.
After much posturing, he got just that. He will be making (an estimated) $27 million in cash in 2025 and $31 million in 2026. He and his family are well-off, no doubt. But Matthew’s wife, Kelly, doesn’t want her children to grow up not understanding the realities of life and the struggle people face when it comes to money.
Kelly and Matthew have four young daughters. Naturally, the power couple wants to give their offspring anything they need. But Kelly has made it a point to make them understand just how fortunate they are and teach them to appreciate it.
Most children won’t have the luxuries the Stafford girls enjoy, and Kelly wants them to understand that.
“It’s important that kids know how blessed they are. Explaining it to them isn’t always the easiest, but if you can find ways to show them, sometimes it sticks a little better,” said Kelly on The Morning After, before elaborating on the importance of making kids active participants in good deeds.
“Whenever we have an opportunity to give back and it is something that we can take the kids to, we do… Kids are visual. Sometimes you have to show them,” she added.
Kelly also talked about how she gets her children involved whenever she’s doing any charitable work. This allows the foursome —twins Sawyer and Chandler, 8, Hunter, 6, and Tyler, 4 (wonder if Matt wanted some boys with those names) — to participate in endeavors involving empathy.
Kelly feels this would let the kids understand that different children face different and often much more difficult obstacles than they do.
“When we sponsor families for Christmas, they come with me, they pick out the toys for the kids, they help deliver. I want them to be aware that people struggle in this world for the littlest things,” said Kelly.
“And they don’t struggle at all. So, it’s hard, though. But I do think kids are visual, so the more you can show them rather than tell them, the better,” she added. Kelly is trying her best to be a mindful parent while making sure that her kids are raised to become empathic, upstanding citizens.
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In fact, she feels guilty for not setting a good example for them after admitting to using the ‘f***’ word four times in front of them on a trip with her friends. Kelly spoke about this in a previous episode of the podcast.
While Kelly’s forthright style of talking is part of what makes her special as a podcaster and a person, she realizes that being too forthright in front of children does not make her a good role model. So she decided, alongside Matthew, that she would put in a dollar in a swear jar for every cuss word she uses in front of them. This was her way to try to end that habit eventually.
Meanwhile, Matthew is out to prove he still has a little bit left in the tank, athletically speaking. He will be chasing his second Super Bowl ring in five years as his Los Angeles Rams reload in 2025 after a couple of down seasons.
The 37-year-old has been a steady presence as the Rams navigate a soft rebuild without sacrificing their competitiveness. Stafford’s role is crucial in this journey.
But it won’t be long before he’s back home with Kelly and the brood full-time. His new deal runs through the 2026 season, at which point he’ll be 39.
