The Los Angeles Rams will open training camp on July 22, and there is still the matter of former sixth-round draft pick and starting safety Quentin Lake’s contract to address.
Lake was the No. 211 overall pick of his class. He has started 20 games for the Rams over the past two seasons, including 16 games in 2024. He is entering the final year of a four-year, $3.8 million rookie scale contract.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz believes an extension for Lake should be a priority for the Rams.
Lake … has become an important part of the Rams’ defense as both a safety and a nickel slot defender. He’s a big reason the Rams led the NFL in DVOA against receivers lined up in the slot last season,” Schatz wrote on June 26. “Lake’s rookie contract ends after 2025, and he’ll still be only 27 in 2026. It’s time for the Rams to make sure he’s around for a while.”
Lake, 26, logged a career high 111 total tackles in 2024. He also had 2.0 sacks, another personal best, and 5 pass deflections.
Lake was second on the Rams in combined stops, only finishing behind linebacker Christian Rozeboom. He ranked eighth in the same category at his position and is younger than all but one player with more tackles.
Quentin Lake Doubles Down on Matthew Stafford Praise
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before a game against the Minnesota Vikings during the NFC Wild Card Playoff.
Lake made waves when he expressed supreme confidence that teammate and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford would be a Hall of Famer once he calls it a career. Stafford is entering his 17th NFL season and fifth with the Rams.
Lake told TMZ Sports in May that Stafford would “100 percent” make the Hall. He added, “I have no doubt in my mind that he’ll be wearing a gold jacket whenever he retires.”
The defender celebrated Stafford’s return to the team on a reworked contract in February.
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He also doubled down on his claims that the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback and 2021 Super Bowl champion is a Hall of Famer.
“No doubt in my mind that he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer,” Lake told the panel on “Good Morning Football” on June 26. “The truest measure of performance is consistency, and this is a guy that’s done it year in and year out. Obviously, the tenure during his Lions [career], he might not have gotten to the playoffs or anything like that, but he showed how much of a dawg he was. And every time we’re in the locker room or we’re on the field, we always call him a dog.
“He is No. 10 on all-time passing yards. I’m gonna give you a couple names, and you can kind of guess, or kind of figure out, if these guys are first ballot Hall of Famers. Some of them are already Hall of Famers in themselves: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger, Phillip Rivers. You have Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Dan Marino. If you look at that whole list, you’d be like, ‘Oh, there are some Hall of Famers. There are some guys, potentially. that are still playing, and Matthew Stafford is No. 10 on that list.”
Stafford would need to wait five years after his retirement to become eligible for the Hall. Still, Lake said Stafford’s being among that company makes for an “easy assessment” about his Hall of Fame worthiness.
Rams DB Quentin Lake Among Team’s Best Run-Stoppers
GettyQuentin Lake #37 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after beating the Seattle Seahawks.
Lake logged most of his snaps in the slot for the Rams last season, per Pro Football Focus. He also earned the 10th-highest defensive grade on the team.
However, he had the third-best grade among Rams defenders against the run, finishing behind only reserve linebacker Jake Hummel and outside linebacker Jared Verse, the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year.
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The Rams have had a revolving door at safety for years.
That may not inherently be good news for Lake. However, it could also provide an ideal opportunity for the Rams to buck that trend with the 2024 team captain.
