Rumor: Rams Tried To ‘Re-Do’ QB Matthew Stafford's Contract
Just over a year after guiding the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl LVI title, quarterback Matthew Stafford's relationship with the team seems unclear.
Stafford had an outstanding debut season in 2021, but his play declined significantly in 2022. Those struggles were in part due to a lackluster offensive line and injuries, both to himself and other offensive players, but regardless of the reason, it was a rough showing after arguably the best season of his career.
Now 35 years old, Stafford's future in L.A. has been brought into question. Recent rumors have suggested the Rams attempted to trade Stafford this offseason to free up cap space, but were unsuccessful. That rumor now has a new wrinkle to it thanks to FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd, who suggested the Rams additionally tried to "re-do" Stafford's deal this offseason, also to no avail.
“I was told by a source I trust that they wanted to re-do his contract, he wasn’t interested, it limits what they can do and they were frustrated with him,” Cowherd said on "The Herd." “And I could also see them next year taking a quarterback because the way to catch up in this league with personnel is rookie quarterback, go buy four good players.”
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Cowherd's guest during this segment, provided some extra clarity on the situation. He added that the Rams weren't actively shopping Stafford, and still aren't, but were merely doing their due diligence in trying to solve their salary cap woes.
"If you're talking about shopping a guy like 'we're looking to offload him,' that's not what they were looking to do," Breer said. "But they did earmark this as a 'reset year,' and what I was told over and over again in February and March and when they traded Jalen Ramsey was, 'we feel like if we don't do this now, it's going to take two years, not one, for us to get out underneath all of the cap debt that we've built up over the years from building the roster as aggressively as we have."
After winning Super Bowl LVI, the Rams rewarded Stafford with a four-year deal worth $160 million in total. Now that the Rams are in a transitionary period, though, that contract may be hurting more than helping. Stafford's cap hit is a reasonable $20 million this season, but balloons to roughly $50 million in each of the next three seasons.
Breer also notes that it's not out of the question for the Rams to look at moving Stafford at this season's trade deadline if they are far outside the playoff picture. For now, though, Stafford and the Rams can only focus on doing their best to bounce back in 2023.
You can follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter @JonAlfano_News
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rams? Click Here
Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Ram Digest message board community today!
Follow Ram Digest on Twitter and Facebook.
Want even more L.A. Rams news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
