For a 3rd straight offseason, the Rams have adjusted Matthew Stafford‘s contract. Unlike the past two years, the most recent move represents a full-on extension relatively than a rework. The 2024 and ’25 changes provided some extra security for Stafford, but this one-year, $55MM pact will set him apart in NFL contract history.
The reigning NFL MVP is not any longer in a contract 12 months, and he has now turn into the rare player to sign 4 extensions (two with the Lions, two as a Ram). This was a long-expected conclusion, though the brand new timeline will create some questions. Once viewed as a player Los Angeles was open to trading — after a concerning 2022 season — Stafford boosted his leverage with strong mid-2020s showings. A 12 months after the Rams balked at authorizing a $50MM-per-year contract, Stafford secured one — albeit a deal structured in another way than another on this NFL salary bracket.
Several short- and long-term components are a part of this negotiating endpoint, one that gives the primary construction of the Rams’ Ty Simpson onramp.
Stafford breaks recent contractual ground
The NFL has now seen 14 $50MM-per-year contracts designed (15 if Patrick Mahomes‘ 2023 rework is included). Multiple facets separate Stafford from the pack. All but three of those contracts covered at the least five years in length. Dak Prescott, armed with historic leverage, managed a four-year extension in 2024. That got here two years after the Packers began the $50MM-per-year club with a three-year Aaron Rodgers extension. The Texans just gave Will Anderson Jr. a three-year, $150MM pact to make the sting rusher the primary non-QB on this exclusive contingent. Not one of the previous $50MM-AAV players even scored a two-year deal.
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