Matthew Stafford will be at training camp after all. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that Stafford and the team came to terms on a new contract and the veteran quarterback would be reporting to camp. "I am relieved," McVay said, adding that the negotiations were done in a "healthy" manner for both parties.
McVay says Stafford came in today to meet with the #Rams in person today. "Being able to sit down, look each other in the eye" helped get the deal done, McVay says. QB Matthew Stafford was due $31 million this season on the four-year, $160 million deal that he signed after the Rams Super Bowl win.
Stafford has three years remaining on the $40-million-per-year contract extension he signed in 2022, and had only $15 million guaranteed after...
https://t.co/gqsPEfMZT6 The news comes after Stafford's contract situation was under something of a spotlight this offseason. While his contract previously ran through the 2026 season, the concern was with the lack of guaranteed money after the 2024 campaign.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported as much during a June 13 update. From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: #Rams QB Matthew Stafford will show up for training camp, but there is still the issue of his contract..
. pic.twitter.
com/BlkbqDKu78 "The issue here, from my understanding, is guaranteed money," Rapoport said. "Matthew Stafford has his salary for this year guaranteed, after that ..
. none guaranteed. .
.. It sounds to me like he just wants to know that he is going to be back.
Wants to know that his spot on the roster is secure and that he is appreciated." Two days prior to Rapoport's report, ESPN's Sarah Barshop noted Rams head coach Sean McVay said he expected Stafford to be present at training camp and was pleased with the quarterback's leadership during OTAs and minicamp even amid the contract speculation. "I couldn't be more impressed with the way he's handled it, the way that he's led," McVay said.
"[He's] been here every single day doing his thing, and that sure means a lot to me." While Stafford will be 36 years old going into the 2024 season, he just led the Rams to the playoffs in 2023 by completing 62.6 percent of his passes for 3,965 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 games.
Off schedule Stafford is a thing of beauty.#NOvsLAR on Prime VideoAlso available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Nz8Z54zYm0 pic.
twitter.com/ordNqHRGYm It was an important bounce-back effort after he was limited to nine games in 2022 and went 3-6 as a starter. Injuries were a concern throughout that campaign, and the Rams placed him on injured reserve after he dealt with concussion protocol, a neck injury and an elbow issue .
The 2023 version of Stafford was closer to the one that secured his place in Los Angeles franchise history during the 2021 season when he led the team to a Super Bowl title in his first year after it acquired him from the Detroit Lions via trade. He completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions that season and lifted his first Lombardi Trophy.
This new contract comes with that history as something of a backdrop. What's more, the Rams don't exactly have a clear long-term succession plan after Stafford with 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett behind him on the depth chart. There is no question Stafford is still the quarterback of the present and now the immediate future for Los Angeles, and he figures to have a number of productive years remaining if he can stay healthy.
He isn't far removed from leading the franchise to the Lombardi Trophy, and it rewarded him accordingly with this deal..
