'Good dialogue' between Rams, Matthew Stafford on contract resolution

Matthew Stafford is seeking guaranteed money beyond the 2024 campaign, and it sounds like the Rams are open to working with their franchise QB on a resolution. 

While speaking with reporters yesterday, coach Sean McVay acknowledged that the organization has spoken with Stafford about a reworked contract.

“I’ve had good dialogue with Matthew; we’ll keep those things in-house,” McVay said, via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. “He’s been working with our guys, but we’ll keep those things in-house.”

In addition to speaking with Stafford, McVay also said the team’s decision makers, including himself, GM Les Snead and vice president of football Tony Pastoors, “have been discussing the situation.”

Stafford is still playing on an $160M extension he signed with the Rams back in 2022. The front office briefly considered trading the quarterback before locking themselves in to his near-$60M commitment for the 2023 campaign. 

While the veteran has flirted with retirement in the past, he seems set to be under center for the Rams in 2024, when he’ll earn a guaranteed $31M base salary.

Beyond that, it’s a bit murkier. Two years remain on Stafford’s deal beyond the 2024 season, but Stafford’s salaries in 2025 ($27M) and 2026 ($26M) are not locked in. 

His cap hits for those campaigns — as well as the coming one — range between $49.5M and $50.5M. If Stafford intends to continue playing beyond the 2024 season, it could make sense for both sides to guarantee more money while reducing the player’s upcoming cap charges.

Beyond the financials, McVay also thinks it’s important to continue showing gratitude for the quarterback who helped guide them to a Super Bowl championship.

“There’s nothing that’s more important than making sure that he feels appreciated and that he knows how much we love him and want him to lead the way,” McVay said, “and I think that commitment that I think he wants to have can be reciprocated. And we want to work toward figuring that out.”