Matthew Stafford is in the building and on the field for the Rams’ offseason program, with OTAs getting underway this week. That wouldn’t be notable if not for his current contract situation, which has yet to be resolved.
Stafford is seeking more guaranteed money and while the Rams have had discussions with Matthew and his agent, there hasn’t been an agreement on a modified deal yet. The Rams are happy to have Stafford participating in OTAs despite them being voluntary but there’s no guarantee he’ll be in attendance for training camp in July if his contract isn’t resolved.
Sean McVay was asked multiple questions about Stafford’s situation on Tuesday but he declined to disclose anything about those negotiations or the quarterback’s status. He’s just appreciative to have Stafford on the field.
“Out of respect for the situation, we’ll just keep it in-house,” McVay said. “What I am appreciative of is that he’s here leading the way and it’s been a good couple days for him.”
McVay was then asked a follow-up question about whether he’s confident a deal will get done. Another non-answer.
“He’s here and we appreciate that, and he knows that,” McVay said. “I’ve had good conversations with him about football and anything other than that, really just going to keep it in-house.”
Are negotiations still ongoing?
“In-house. I respect the questions, I really do,” McVay replied. “But you know, out of respect for just the totality of the situation and really, there’s just a lot of things that we want to be able to just keep in-house. And if there is any information on that front, you guys will certainly know and maybe you’ll break it on your Twitter.”
It’s notable that McVay couldn’t say for sure whether Stafford will participate in training camp without a new deal. That could be a bit concerning for the Rams because everyone saw the effect his absence had on the offense in 2022 when he was sidelined by an elbow injury.
“I’m confident that he’s been out here leading the way and that’s really where we’ll kind of keep it right now,” McVay said.
Stafford’s $31 million salary is guaranteed for the 2024 season, but after that, none of his remaining salary is guaranteed. He does still have a total of $24 million in a signing bonus and $13 million in an option bonus in the final two years of his deal (2025 and 2026), as well as $10 million in the form of a roster bonus, but it’s not as if his contract is among the largest at the quarterback position.
His annual salary of $40 million is 13th among all quarterbacks, though it’s the guaranteed money that’s an issue, not his salary. The Rams could modify his contract the way they did Aaron Donald’s in 2022 to guarantee him more money in the final two years but as of now, no agreement has been made.