Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams worked diligently to restructure the two-time Pro Bowler’s contract. It should keep him with the franchise in 2025 and possibly beyond. However, Stafford is 37 years old and began 2024 slowly.
The Rams hope that the tail end of the 2024 season is more indicative of how 2025 will go.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon predicts the Rams could part ways with the 2021 Super Bowl champion. That is, should a repeat of early 2024 hold throughout 2025.
“Matthew Stafford is back for more, but there’s a good chance he’ll decide to hang ‘em up after this season,” Gagnon wrote on May 9. “The Rams could also decide to move on from him if they don’t see the value in an expensive, past-his-prime quarterback who has a 91.8 passer rating since the start of 2022.”
The #Rams gave Matthew Stafford a big raise for this season, but his contract includes no fully guaranteed money in 2026—opening the door (again) for a potential trade next offseason.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 6, 2025
Full daily episode: https://t.co/Rq97xRxK55 https://t.co/kOE71MyKwq pic.twitter.com/QHOxnBsjyD
Stafford is on a two-year, $80 million contract, and he received a $4 million roster bonus in March. He has another $40 million in salary for 2026. That becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the new league year.
However, trading Stafford, even with a post-June 1 designation in 2026, would still incur a $27.5 million dead cap hit to save $20.8 million, per Over The Cap.
Rams backups Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett are 33 and 27 years old, respectively.
Rams Flirted With Matthew Stafford Trade This Offseason.
GettyMatthew Stafford’s future with the Los Angeles Rams remains a source of intrigue.
Stafford completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,238 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions over the first five weeks of the regular season. The Rams went 1-4 during that span. They went 9-2 from then on, with Stafford posting a 2,524-17-5 line on 64.5% completion.
He led them to the NFC Divisional Playoffs, getting within range of a game-winning touchdown against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Stafford was non-committal after the loss.
This offseason, Rams general manager Les Snead left the door open for potentially interested teams to contact them about a trade for Stafford. The Rams took it a step further, allowing Stafford and his representatives to gauge the QB’s value during the time around the combine.
Snead noted that Stafford disrupted their previous plans to retool. The Rams were also linked to several quarterback prospects in the 2025 draft.
Once Stafford was back in the mix, Snead called their agreement a “renewal of vows.”
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Stafford turned down contracts worth $100 million or more from the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders to return.
Breer also offered a potentially telling note about the type of rework Stafford received.
“He really wanted to stay in Southern California,” Breer wrote on May 6. “His new deal gives him a nice bump over what he was making, for sure, and is the sort of contract adjustment teams only give to players they value at the highest level.
Both parties have openly set the stage. For Stafford to return in 2026, with the QB even suggesting a swifter decision when the time comes.
But the season remains yet to be played.
Gagnon’s prediction has as much chance of occurring as the Rams and Stafford repeating their 2024 performance. Even if they do, the reality of Stafford’s age is not changing. Retirement was a talking point in each of the last two offseasons.
Time on Rams’ Side
GettyThe Los Angeles Rams could be positioned to move on Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning in the 2026 NFL Draft.
One key difference between the 2024 and 2025 campaigns stands out at this point of the NFL calendar. Stafford’s deal got done weeks before he is due into the Rams’ facilities to begin OTAs, mandatory minicamp, and, eventually, training camp.
The two sides finalized last year’s adjustment in late July. Their current trajectory allows more time to prepare for the season, rather than sorting out unfinished financial business.
Notably, the Rams traded out of the first round of the 2024 draft.
That sparked intrigue around the league that they are positioning themselves to select one of the top QBs in the 2026 draft class. Possibly even Texas Longhorns starter and NFL legacy prospect, Arch Manning.
5 plays by Arch Manning in the 2nd half against Mississippi State encapsulate his positives as a prospect.
Clips of stepping up in the pocket, layering climb balls, some adlibbing (to find the checkdown), and the athleticism to create as a runner and throw on the move.
As it stands, signs point to Stafford sticking with the Rams, at least into the 2026 season. Time will truly tell if they finish the campaign together, especially if the season goes awry.
