The Los Angeles Rams checked off an important item on their to-do list as they were able to agree to a reconstructed contract with Matthew Stafford for the 2025 season.
Stafford will now return to the Rams for a fifth season instead of potentially playing elsewhere. Before the sides reached an agreement, several teams expressed interest in trading for the veteran quarterback.
Financial details of Stafford’s new contract have not been revealed, but it is believed that the Rams gave him a significant raise to keep him around.
McVay said that the Rams will continue adjusting Stafford’s contract on a year-to-year basis for as long as he wants to play, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“But we’ve always had great dialogue, and I think it’s really been kind of a year-to-year thing,” McVay said. “He’s obviously under contract for two more years with us, but as long as he wants to play, I know we’re feeling really good about that.”
Things got a little dicey this offseason, but McVay maintained that the Rams wanted Stafford back and he was happy they were able to get it done:
“When he felt good with the way the season ended, and obviously we were all ecstatic about him wanting to continue to play and play at a high level,” McVay said. “Now it’s just figuring out the semantics of, all right, there’s no way to put an actual value on what he means, but what does it look like to be able to fit it for the landscape of our football team, where we’re at, knowing how many years you want to play, and what does that look like for the short- and the for the long-term? Fortunately, we were able to come to a compromise and a conclusion that everybody feels really good about, and I think it’s great reflection of him and our group.”
Stafford returning to the Rams always made the most sense for both sides and now it has become a reality. The 37-year-old is still playing at a high level and gives the team their best chance at competing for a Super Bowl.
If Stafford was traded or released, the Rams would have been on the hook for significant dead money. They also would have struggled to find a suitable replacement for the two-time Pro Bowler, with Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Garoppolo among their most realistic options outside of the draft.
For all of those reasons, it is easy to see why McVay pushed so hard for Stafford to return to the organization for at least one more season.
Puka Nacua excited for Matthew Stafford’s return to Rams
As news broke that Mattew Stafford and the Rams agreed to a new contract, Puka Nacua shared a video of his reaction from an airport.
“I just barely missed my flight to Salt Lake City but we just signed Matthew Stafford,” Nacua said. “Number nine is back.”
It’s easy to see why Nacua is excited to have Stafford back as the Rams quarterback. The 23-year-old has quickly established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL with Stafford under center.
Nacua is coming off another solid year that saw him catch 79 passes for 990 receiving yards and three touchdowns in only 11 games, and that was after a record-breaking rookie season in 2023.
