The Los Angeles Rams face several questions with their roster for the 2025 season, including whether Matthew Stafford will return for his fifth year with the team.
After the Rams’ playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Stafford said that he would take some time to think about his future. Head coach Sean McVay later indicated that the team would like to know his plans sooner rather than later.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Stafford has told the Rams that he is planning to return next season:
“My understanding is that Matthew Stafford does in fact plan to play next season. This is essentially what he communicated to the Rams. He wanted to take some time off and basically told them ‘I feel good, I don’t see why I wouldn’t play.’”
Prior to training camp last year, Stafford and the Rams worked through contract details before agreeing on a restructured deal. He earned $40 million while essentially giving up all of his guarantees for 2025 and beyond.
Stafford is due to make $27 million this year, but the sides will likely have to agree to another revised contract for the 2025 season:
“He’s due $27 million next year not guaranteed on his contract and I have a hard time imagining Matthew Stafford plays for that. Last year before training camp, also right before the buzzer, I believe it ended up being a one-year, $40 million deal. I would imagine they’ll have to look at his contract again.”
The Rams currently do not have a succession plan at the quarterback position, so it always made sense for Stafford to return in 2025.
In four seasons since joining the team, Stafford has led the Rams to three playoff appearances, two NFC West Championship and a Super Bowl.
The 36-year-old showed that he is still capable of playing at a high level in 2024 and his presence should allow the Rams to build on a successful season.
Even if Stafford returns as expected, the Rams presumably will try to find their quarterback of the future in the 2025 NFL Draft. Jimmy Garoppolo is set to reach free agency after making one start with the team last season and Stetson Bennett has yet to play a snap in the NFL.
Matthew Stafford’s 2024 season with Rams
Matthew Stafford started in 16 games this past season, completing 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards and 20 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
Although his production dropped a bit, Stafford played fairly well considering he was without Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua for a portion of the season.
