Rams GM Les Snead Sounds Off on Stafford Negotiation Saga

The Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford spent weeks working on a new deal. After countless speculation about the Rams potentially trading Stafford, general manager Les Snead opens up on how negotiations with Stafford really went.

Jun 10, 2021; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke (center) talks to quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) before the start of an offseason workout SoFi Stadium. Left is team general manager Les Snead. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams have had an interesting first few weeks of the offseason. After immediately informing veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp of their intentions to trade him this offseason, the Rams worked on veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford's contract.

The Rams had a productive season, battling back from a 1-4 start to secure a playoff berth, a feat few teams in National Football League history have ever done. However, there is little chance the Rams could have pulled that off without Stafford under center.

Still, the Rams fell short of their ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl, and Stafford's previous contract left the Rams little room to add talent around him moving forward. Luckily, Stafford and the Rams were able to agree on contract terms.

However, that agreement came after weeks of speculation surrounding potential landing spots for Stafford in case his negotiations with the Rams fell through. With Stafford officially back in the fold, the Rams can put Stafford's challenging contract negotiations behind them.

Rams' general manager Les Snead elaborated on Stafford's contract restructuring and the process behind finishing the deal. Snead noted how delicate contract negotiations can be, especially when involving star players at a critical juncture for the team.

"These partnerships between quarterback and NFL franchise... there's definitely a lot of parameters that are involved, and there's trade-offs. And over the years, as you go through them, there's some wear and tear," Snead said.

"But through the process, the neat thing is, once we sat down, it was very obvious that we all wanted to continue the partnership and continue chasing some form of greatness together, and that's exactly the conclusion that we got to, and we're jacked that it got to that point."

One of the primary goals of restructuring Stafford's contract was to free up room to sign other players. With Stafford's contract out of the way, Los Angeles can finally move on to other roster positions, such as the linebacker position.

Now, it will be up to Snead and the Rams front office to supply Stafford and the team the talent they need to make a deeper playoff push next season.

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