When the Rams QB earns another $40 million guaranteed
The $26 million raise that Matthew Stafford received on his newly revised contract with the L.A. Rams carries one very important day in the future for the Super Bowl-winning QB. Stafford already has another $40 million coming to him this year, having already received $4 million, but according to a new detail revealed by Ian Rapoport on Monday, he’s got another $40 million coming to him:
Stafford, 37, is set to continue going year-to-year with Los Angeles. But Rapoport notes that if the quarterback is on the roster at the start of free agency in 2026, he’ll lock in another $40 million. Where Stafford was previously set to make $58 million in 2025 and 2026, he’s now set to make $84 million.
At the start of 2026 free agency, Stafford will have $40 million guaranteed to him.
This number is close to already being guaranteed — if Stafford does not retire — because the Rams have little to gain by parting ways with the quarterback next year. The Rams would only save $6.4 million in cap space by releasing or trading Stafford in 2026, with nearly $42 million in dead money left on the books.
Because the Rams had to spread out his new money as much as possible, there are also three more void years AFTER 2026 in which L.A. will owe money to Stafford on the books despite not being on the roster by then. That includes a $33.6 million cap number in 2027, when Stafford will be a 39-year-old free agent.
Will Stafford play until he’s 39? Will it be with the Rams?
At any rate, Stafford is well locked in for 2025 and 2026, but he’s especially locked in at the start of free agency next year.