Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford needed an adjustment to his deal with the team in order to show up to training camp in 2024. And last week, it was announced that he and the Rams had successfully renegotiated his deal in a way that would give him more money up front.
Stafford signed a four-year, $160 million contract with the Rams in 2022 after winning the Super Bowl with the team. And his first year of the new deal — an injury-riddled 2022 campaign — made the contract look potentially damaging long-term for L.A.
But Stafford had an incredible bounce-back last season and re-established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. With that, he wanted to ensure he got more of his contract up front in case injuries or age caught up to him. He and the Rams agreed to extra money in 2024 and 2025 as part of that renegotiation, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
The #Rams and QB Matthew Stafford have now agreed to terms on his adjusted contract, sources say, as he gets an additional $5M this year (money moved forward from a later contract year) and an additional $4M guaranteed roster bonus next year. https://t.co/gs4BPvTI2g
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2024
The Rams have a cheaper roster in 2024 than they have had in previous seasons, allowing them the flexibility to make this type of last-minute adjustment to Stafford’s deal. It also helps them in the long-term by potentially lowering the cap hit on Stafford in the final year of his deal should they choose to move on from him or attempt to build a better team around him.
Generally, teams will push off big dollar amounts to future years in an attempt to improve their roster in the short term. But the Rams are in a unique position of being a postseason team with some financial flexibility.
Matthew Stafford ranks No. 42 on NFL Top 100
Matthew Stafford had a huge comeback season in 2023 that saw him lead the Rams to a surprise postseason berth and show his toughness. That big season not only earned him a contract renegotiation, but it saw him rank in the top 50 of the NFL’s annual top 100 list.
He was placed at No. 42, ranking between Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles and Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens. The nearest quarterback to Stafford was, ironically, Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions, who came in at No. 48.
