The Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford are entering the 2025 season with mutual respect—and mutual uncertainty. After a brief offseason standoff, the two sides agreed to a restructured contract that ensures Stafford returns under center for at least one more year. But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk put it, this is not a long-term commitment. It’s “a mutual understanding that player and team are taking things one year at a time.”
“Matthew Stafford, Rams: It’s not the ‘hot seat’ as much as it’s a mutual understanding that player and team are taking things one year at a time.” Florio wrote, “After the season, both sides will have to recommit. Whether the Rams will want to do that depends on how Stafford plays in 2025, and on their other options for staffing the position in 2026.”
That arrangement leaves LA in a tenuous position at quarterback—one of the few elite teams in the NFL without a defined future at the game’s most important position. Stafford’s $47.5 million cap hit in 2025 is second only to Dak Prescott’s, and his contract currently runs through 2026. Yet both Stafford and head coach Sean McVay have been clear: each offseason will require another conversation.
Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams Are on a Year-to-Year Clock
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“He’s obviously under contract for two more years with us, but as long as he wants to play, I know we’re feeling really good about that,” McVay said. “It’s really been kind of a year-to-year thing.”
This year’s compromise came quickly compared to 2024’s negotiations, which dragged on for months. Stafford and the Rams navigated a potentially awkward situation with open communication, even allowing Stafford’s agent to explore the trade market to gauge his value.
McVay insists losing Stafford “was never something that I ever thought would occur,” but the reality is that the Rams gave Stafford’s camp the green light to test his leverage—just as they had done before acquiring him and dealing Jared Goff to Detroit in 2021.
From a financial standpoint, Stafford is one of the most accomplished earners in NFL history. As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently highlighted, he’s already pulled in over $364 million in career earnings and was inducted into the satirical “Bag Hall of Fame” for maximizing his value through multiple CBA eras and smart negotiation.
Still, Stafford turns 37 during the season, and Los Angeles must begin thinking seriously about what comes next. There’s no clear successor on the roster, and another elite-level year from Stafford could earn him yet another raise or extension. But anything short of that may prompt the Rams to explore their options in 2026.
For now, both sides got what they wanted—Stafford gets paid, and the Rams keep their Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the building. But make no mistake: the clock is ticking.
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