LOS ANGELES — The contract adjustment was awkward, maybe a little. There’s really no way around it for Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.
You could see that in Stafford’s early comments about his adjusted contract on Wednesday, which he tried to avoid altogether, as did Rams head coach Sean McVay a day earlier. But a deal was reached (more on that in a second) and Stafford was on the field and negotiating during the Rams’ first training camp practice at Loyola Marymount University. Which was more than could be said for several NFL stars across the league this week, with several key players at other franchises sitting out practices or not showing up to camp at all. Such is life in the NFL for the upcoming training camps, as massive deals have skewed the pay scales of multiple positions and put players and teams at a financial crossroads.
None of those are more significant than at quarterback, where deals signed as recently as 2022 have rapidly collapsed the average annual salary scale. That’s essentially what happened with Stafford, whose four-year, $160 million extension signed two years ago had him entering camp with the 12th-highest average annual salary at his position. And with anticipated extensions for the Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love and the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa (and potentially an extension for the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott), Stafford could have entered the season as the 14th- or 15th-highest average quarterback in terms of salary.
So what exactly happened between Stafford and the Rams with the contract?
Both sides are declining to comment on the contract adjustment, but a league source familiar with multiple quarterback negotiations this offseason told Yahoo Sports that the Rams and Stafford adjusted their cash flow, increasing the $31 million he was due to make this season while also decreasing the $15 million he was guaranteed next season. The source declined to elaborate on how much of the $15 million in 2025 guarantees carried over to 2024, but it was enough to satisfy Stafford by getting additional money and increasing his APY for the first three years of his four-year extension while also lessening the salary cap hit the Rams would take next offseason if Stafford decided to opt out with one year left on his contract.
Essentially, if Stafford retires after 2024, it will mean that the extension he signed in 2022 ended up being a three-year deal averaging north of $40 million per season. And if he doesn’t retire after the 2024 season, it will mean he received more money in the first three years of a contract extension that got old extremely quickly.
The goal of all this is simple: Stafford gets more money up front in 2024, while the Rams get some dead-money salary protection in 2025 in case this is Stafford’s final season. And if 2024 isn’t Stafford’s final season, the two sides can go back to the negotiating table next offseason to adjust his 2025 salary or sign a new extension — with the caveat that Stafford plays at his usual high level this season.
From a broader perspective of what’s happening around the league with so many stars trying to command new market values, Stafford’s fit is a fairly typical one. The only thing that brought it to a head was that it all came together so close to camp for both sides. Stafford put the Rams in a tough spot, and the team knew the best way to proceed was to get a deal done to eliminate any chance of disrupting what should be a very good team this season.
Watching Stafford and the Rams on Wednesday, you could understand why there would be an effort to get everything in order before camp started. One interception aside, Stafford and the wide receivers looked sharp right away. Wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua appear to have not missed a beat, and running back Kyren Williams showed no signs of a foot injury that forced him to miss a portion of the offseason. And not only did Kupp look healthy, but Nacua appears to have a more fine-tuned physique after spending the offseason in a workout program alongside Kupp. Add in a rebuilt interior of the offensive line, rookie running back Blake Corum behind Williams and some depth at tight end that could be better than initially thought, and the Rams’ offense could be as balanced as it’s ever been during Stafford’s tenure in Los Angeles.
“We’re surrounded by a lot of young talent on this team and guys that are hungry to prove themselves in this league, on this team, on the field, in everything,” Stafford said of the team’s energy in opening camp. “It’s a fun thing to be around. As veteran players, we feed off of that. At the same time, we try to guide them in the right direction and teach them how to practice like NFL players. But these guys really came through in the spring and then they’ve made it to today. They just really know what to do and that’s half the battle, so I’m proud of them.”
Of course, there’s plenty of work ahead in camp. The offensive line has to prove it can come together as a cohesive unit against Stafford and the running backs, while the defense has to weather the loss of Aaron Donald and pair two draft picks with very high expectations (defensive back Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske) along with a host of other young defenders. Among them, the staff is particularly excited about the strides made by second-year linebacker Byron Young and defensive tackle Kobie Turner. There’s also notable buzz around the organization surrounding the addition of free agent Kamren Curl, who will be able to play safety and slot corner, giving the secondary some intriguing flexibility.
“We have a chance to be a tougher team on both lines of scrimmage,” McVay said. “Obviously, there’s no denying we’re going to miss (Donald) a lot. But some of these young guys have some talent.”
Asked whether he considers the offensive column to be run- or pass-dominated, McVay said the Rams have finally achieved the kind of versatility that has eluded them even in some of their best years.
“Both, hopefully, if we can be both, have been some of the best offenses we’ve had,” he said. “But I think if we can have the threat to be really good at running, that opens up other possibilities in the passing game. … Steve Avila looks really good at center, (guards) Jonah Jackson and Kevin Dotson, really the investment we’ve made in the interior parts of the offensive line (is exciting), to hopefully give us the ability to do everything, whether it’s solidifying the pocket in protection or dictating the terms of the running game.”
Both would be developments that would maximize Stafford, who remains the organization’s top priority as long as he’s on the roster. Because the potential Super Bowl window with this team has suddenly opened again, finally free of the malaise of the 2022 season, which had threatened to undermine not only McVay’s path as a head coach but the futures of Stafford and others. One micro-rebuild later, both sides of the team are loaded with young, rising players.
That quality and a high-level quarterback in the middle usually get you places in the NFL. The Rams have both. And with finances in order through 2024 with Stafford, the franchise is firmly on track and moving forward without missing a beat. And as far as the organization, and McVay specifically, is concerned, that’s the first win of the season.
