Matthew Stafford and the Rams Face a Crucial Offseason—What Unexpected Moves Could Change Everything?

Deals in the NFL tend to unravel in their own mysterious fashions — just when you think it’s buttoned up, something sneaks out from the shadows. Matthew Stafford’s freshly inked two-year contract with the Rams? Officially on the books. But if you thought this put an end to speculation, think again. This deal serves up fresh questions about Stafford’s future in L.A., especially once next season wraps. The numbers paint an intriguing picture: $44 million guaranteed this year but zero beyond 2025. The Rams hold the reins through 2026, with wiggle room to cut or trade Stafford before his hefty $40 million salary kicks in as fully guaranteed. Stafford’s choice to stick to short-term patience — turning down more lucrative offers — tells me he’s banking on his worth being recognized, whether in purple and gold or elsewhere. From a financial outlook, the Rams appear to have locked a bargain, snagging a top-tier QB ranked 15th, at a tidy $42 million annual hit. And far from fearing exposure, Stafford coolly accepts a contract with no safety net beyond this year. It’s a high-wire act that nobody else seems quite willing to attempt right now. Intrigued? LEARN MORE

He could have gotten a firm million (or more) on a two-year deal with the Raiders or Giants. But Stafford seems to be content to go one year at a time with the Rams, confident that another team (if not the Rams) will pay him fairly in 2026.It’s a good deal for the Rams. At million per year on his new contract, Stafford currently ranks 15th in the NFL. And he’s still better than the 15th best quarterback.And Stafford, unlike plenty of starting quarterbacks, is willing to play in the current year with no financial security beyond it.In the NFL, no deal is ever done until it’s done. Now that quarterback Matthew Stafford’s new deal with the Rams is officially done, the two-year deal will once again tee up the question, after the next season, of whether the Rams and Stafford are done.We don’t, and won’t, know whether the Rams have informally agreed to grant Stafford his outright release, if he decides he wants to finish his career elsewhere. If a new team can sign him without giving the Rams a draft pick or two, that’s more money they’ll be willing to pay Stafford next year.He ends up with million this year, with no guarantees beyond 2025 — for injury or otherwise. The Rams will have until the fifth day of the next league year in March, when his 2026 salary of million becomes fully guaranteed, to cut him. The Rams also will have the ability to trade Stafford, since they’ll hold his contractual rights through 2026.