While negotiating with Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay expressed his confidence in the quarterback on the Fitz & Whit podcast.
McVay emphasized that the Rams had no doubt about wanting Stafford as their quarterback, acknowledging the need to consider both the short-term and long-term impact of a new deal.
By restructuring Stafford’s contract on Friday to keep him in Los Angeles, the Rams prioritized the immediate future, ensuring they retained the quarterback who gives them the best shot at another Super Bowl.
“The coolest thing about Matthew is that he shines brightest on the biggest stages,” McVay said. “In the seven playoff games he’s played as a Ram, he’s given us a chance to win every time.”
During negotiations, the Rams had to balance Stafford’s request for a raise from his scheduled $27 million salary in 2025 with their ability to continue investing in their young roster.
Before the 2024 season, Stafford and the Rams modified the quarterback’s 2022 extension, finalizing the adjusted contract on the day training camp began. A source told ESPN at the time that if Stafford wanted to continue playing in 2025 and beyond, both sides would revisit negotiations after the season.
They did just that, but with a gap in their valuations, the Rams permitted Stafford and his agent, Jimmy Sexton, to explore his market value. Although Stafford held discussions with the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders, he ultimately reached an agreement with the Rams on a revised deal.
By restructuring Stafford’s contract for 2025, the Rams maintained a strong core of their roster—the same group that was just 13 yards away from hosting the NFC Championship Game last season.
Staying in Los Angeles also gives Stafford an opportunity to further solidify his NFL legacy. Entering his 17th season, he is just 191 yards away from reaching the 60,000-yard passing milestone, a feat accomplished by only nine other quarterbacks.
After the Rams’ divisional-round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Stafford said he would take time to evaluate his future but felt he was still playing at a high level. When asked if he had more football left in him, he simply responded, “Sure feels like it.”
At 37, only Stafford knows how long he wants to continue playing, but McVay remains confident in his performance.
“I know he’s playing really good football,” McVay said in his end-of-season press conference.
In 2024, Stafford completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards, throwing 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Throughout his time in Los Angeles, Stafford has battled numerous injuries, including a rib injury late in the 2024 season. In January, his wife, Kelly, revealed on her podcast that he cracked four ribs in Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers. After aggravating the injury in the playoff loss to the Eagles, Stafford downplayed its impact.
In 2022, he landed on injured reserve with a spinal cord contusion and entered concussion protocol twice, playing only nine games that season. Since then, he has missed just a game and a half, sitting out the final regular-season games in 2023 and 2024 after the Rams had already secured playoff berths.
Unlike the 2021 Rams, who won Super Bowl LVI by aggressively trading draft picks for star players, the 2023 and 2024 playoff teams were built differently. Over the past two offseasons, general manager Les Snead and the Rams have focused on drafting and developing talent, even making their first first-round selection since 2016, particularly strengthening their defense.
McVay acknowledged the challenge of managing the salary cap while preparing for future contract extensions for their young players.
“That’s a good thing,” McVay said. “Each year is its own entity. Ideally, you’re building and developing from within with those draft picks.”
While the Rams will continue to rely on their draft-and-develop approach, they’ll do so with one of their franchise’s pillars—Matthew Stafford—leading the way.
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