How Stafford staying in L.A. advantages each him and the Rams

Whereas the Los Angeles Rams had been negotiating with Matthew Stafford, head coach Sean McVay gave him a vote of confidence on the “Fitz & Whit” podcast.

McVay stated there was little question the Rams wished Stafford to be their quarterback, including that the group wanted to “take a look at the brief time period and the long run” of what a brand new deal would imply for each side.

By adjusting Stafford’s contract on Friday to maintain him in Los Angeles, the Rams selected to concentrate on the brief time period, retaining the quarterback who provides them one of the best probability to win one other Tremendous Bowl.

“The good factor you possibly can say about Matthew is he shines the brightest on the most important levels,” McVay stated. “Whenever you take a look at the seven playoff video games that he is performed in since he is been a Ram, he definitely provides you an opportunity each time you step out on the sphere.”

Whereas on the negotiating desk, the Rams needed to weigh Stafford’s request for a increase from his scheduled $27 million wage in 2025 with the power to proceed to put money into their younger roster going ahead.

Earlier than the 2024 season, the Rams and Stafford reworked his 2022 extension, finally agreeing to an adjusted contract on the day the group reported to coaching camp. A supply informed ESPN throughout coaching camp that the perimeters anticipated to return to the negotiating desk after the season if Stafford wished to play in 2025 and past.

The 2 sides did, and so they had been far sufficient off of their valuations that the Rams allowed Stafford and agent Jimmy Sexton to gauge the quarterback’s worth on the open market. Though he had discussions with the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders, Stafford was finally in a position to come to an settlement with the Rams on an adjusted contract/contract extension.

Whereas the Rams have restructured the deal for 2025, they’ve saved collectively a good portion of their roster that had them 13 yards away from internet hosting the NFC Championship Recreation final season.

Returning to Los Angeles provides Stafford the prospect so as to add to his NFL legacy. The quarterback, who simply completed his sixteenth season, is 191 yards shy of reaching 60,000 profession passing yards. Solely 9 different quarterbacks have achieved that feat.

After the Rams misplaced within the divisional spherical of the playoffs to the Philadelphia Eagles, Stafford stated he would take time to contemplate his NFL future, however stated, “I really feel like I used to be taking part in some fairly good ball.” He was then requested whether or not he has soccer left in him and stated, “Certain feels prefer it.”

Solely Stafford, 37, is aware of how for much longer he needs to play, however McVay stated he believed his quarterback was taking part in at a excessive degree final season.

“I do know he is taking part in actually good soccer,” McVay stated in his end-of-season information convention.

Final season, Stafford accomplished 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Stafford has performed by means of many accidents throughout his time in Los Angeles, together with an harm to his ribs late within the season in 2024.

In January, Stafford’s spouse, Kelly, stated on her podcast that Stafford cracked 4 ribs in Week 15 in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers. However after the loss to the Eagles when he aggravated that harm early within the recreation, he stated he “did not really feel prefer it was a lot of an element.”

Stafford additionally ended the 2022 season on injured reserve with a spinal wire contusion. He was within the concussion protocol twice that season, taking part in in 9 video games.

Stafford has missed a recreation and a half because of harm since that season, sitting out the common season finales in 2023 and ’24 to relaxation after the Rams had already clinched a playoff spot.

Not like the Rams group that received Tremendous Bowl LVI with a roster constructed with its “f— them picks” mentality, Los Angeles’ 2023 and ’24 playoffs groups had been constructed a unique means. Prior to now two offseasons, Snead and the Rams have rebuilt their roster by means of the draft — in 2024, the Rams had a first-round choose for the primary time since 2016 — particularly on the defensive aspect of the ball.

In his end-of-season information convention, McVay was requested in regards to the challenges of balancing the wage cap with the information that as a result of they’ve had such profitable drafts that they will need to pay these gamers within the subsequent few years.

“That is an excellent factor,” McVay stated. “What we all know is annually is its personal separate entity. You do need to have the ability to get forward of these issues and I feel in a really perfect scenario and state of affairs, you are constructing and growing from inside with these draft picks.”

However whereas the Rams will seemingly proceed to draft and develop these picks, they’re going to do it with considered one of their “weight-bearing partitions” in Stafford main the way in which.