Matthew Stafford’s career has had many turns since he was traded from the Detroit Lions at the end of the 2020 season. Stafford won the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 but had his second season cut short thanks to a spinal cord contusion and a concussion, marking the start of retirement rumors.
Stafford returned to lead the Rams to back-to-back playoff appearances, but his future was uncertain heading into this offseason. A skiing trip with Tom Brady wasn’t enough for Stafford to leave Los Angeles and he’s now preparing for his 17th season in the NFL.
With the years mounting up and Stafford turning 37 last February, the question has become when the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft will hang up the cleats. But Stafford’s new contract with the Rams reveals a distinct plan and could tell us how much gas is left in the tank.
Matthew Stafford’s Contract With Rams Hints at Two-Year Plan
Stafford revised his contract after a brief window where both sides agreed to let him seek out a new team in March. According to Over The Cap, the Rams gave Stafford a two-year, $80 million contract that begins next season and includes $56 million in guaranteed money. Overall, it’s a $26 million raise from his previous contract and the Rams have spread out the deal over three void years, giving Los Angeles $8 million in cap space.
The deal buys time for the Rams to find Stafford’s successor and it makes sense considering how their 2025 draft panned out. Los Angeles did not select a quarterback in what was considered to be a weak quarterback class and added an extra first-round pick in 2026 after a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.
The extra capital is key for Los Angeles as they could move up in the draft to select Texas’s Arch Manning, UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava or South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers if they declare for next year’s draft. If that plays out, Stafford could remain the starter for the next two seasons and allow whichever quarterback they decide to take a “redshirt year” before taking over in 2027.
Regardless of the Rams long-term plans, it allows Stafford to build on a Hall of Fame caliber career. The Georgia product spent 12 seasons in Detroit before spending the last four with the Rams and ranks 10th all-time with 59,809 passing yards and 377 touchdowns. Although his relationship with Detroit has soured, it’s interesting to see how long he’ll continue playing and whether the Rams’ long-term plans for a quarterback will come to fruition.