Rams News: Sean McVay Reacts to Questions on Matthew Stafford Contract Talks

Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay dodges a series of questions regarding Matthew Stafford’s contract.

Jul 31, 2022; Irvine, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay (left) and quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during training camp at UC Irvine. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams have completed day two of their organized team activities (OTAs), and many of the vital Rams were in attendance. The Rams had their top guys, like Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, and quarterback Matthew Stafford, in attendance, to name a few. 

Stafford's presence at the voluntary practice was significant, surprising many. He wants to renegotiate his contract to include more guaranteed money beyond this upcoming season, making his participation even more noteworthy.

Stafford was on the gridiron participating in drills and looking healthy doing so. After their practice, head coach Sean McVay spoke to the media and was asked a series of questions regarding an update on Stafford's contract battle. McVay dodged the questions the best he could and repeatedly said he would like to keep those matters "in-house." 

Here's how that scrum went down, per Ryan Anderson of Los Angeles Football Network. 

"During the draft weekend you mentioned that Matthew Stafford wanted more guaranteed money out of his contract. Has there been any progress towards making that happen?" Sarah Barshop of ESPN asked.

"Out of respect for the situation, Sarah, we'll just keep it in house," McVay said. "What I am appreciative of is that he's here, leading the way. It's been a good couple days for him."

"You said at the draft that you were confident that you guys were going to be able to come to some kind of an agreement and that you wanted him here," Gary Klien of The Los Angeles Times asked.

"He's here and we appreciate that," McVay noted. "We've had good conversations with him about football and anything other than that, you know, really just going to keep it in house."

“Is the conversation still open?” asked Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

"In-house," McVay offered simply.

"Are you confident that it'll be..." Klien asked.

"I respect the questions," McVay followed up. "I really do, but you know out of respect for just the totality of the situation, there's just a lot of things that we want to be able to just keep in house. If there is any information on that front you guys will certainly know and maybe you'll break it on your Twitter."

"Are you confident that he'll be at training camp?" Klien responded.

"I'm confident that he's been out here leading the way and that's really where we'll kind of keep it right now," McVay said.

As things stand, Stafford is guaranteed zero dollars in 2025 and 2026, with $31 million coming his way this season. Although Stafford wants his money, his showing up at OTAs tells you a lot about his commitment to the game and how much he values this football team. 

The Rams didn't trade away their former No. 1 overall pick, Jared Goff, and three draft picks to only keep Stafford around for a little while. L.A. wants him to finish his career in Royal Blue and Sol. 

McVay made it very clear that those discussions will be held in-house. We may need to keep our eyes peeled for the situation, as it could happen at any minute. The longer these negotiations linger, it could spell trouble for the Rams. 

More Rams: LA May Reportedly Play in New Continent Next Season