The Biggest Winner from Stafford's Deal with the Rams

The Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford finally agreed to a restructured contract. It was a significant victory.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) reacts during the first half in an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams were the talk of the National Football League over the last few weeks as they worked with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford on a contract negotiation. Stafford's old contract left him and the Rams in between a rock and a hard place.

However, both sides agreed on a contract restructuring to keep Stafford in Los Angeles. The numbers behind Stafford's old contract made it a legitimate possibility the Rams could trade him if they could not agree to terms.

Still, it seemed likely that both sides would figure things out, as it made little sense for either side to move on, considering how this past season went. Stafford staying with the Rams marks the first domino to fall for potential quarterback moves across the league.

Nate Davis of USA TODAY noted the biggest winners and losers from Stafford staying in Los Angeles, with the Rams unquestionably being the biggest benefactors.

"On the surface, it never seemed to make much sense to fix what certainly didn’t seem to be broken – even as the team gave its 37-year-old quarterback permission to assess his value on the market at a time when extending his career seems to have become something of a Favre-ian revisit on an annual basis," Davis said.

"Overall, Stafford (the only quarterback to bring the Rams a Lombardi Trophy when the franchise has been based in LA) didn’t play as well in 2024 as he did in ’23 but reserved some of his strongest performances for the postseason. He passed for a season-high 324 yards in the team’s divisional-round loss to Philadelphia and nearly led a late-game comeback at Lincoln Financial Field in what was easily the eventual champion Eagles’ toughest test in an otherwise dominant Super Bowl run.

"With Stafford remaining in the fold – and assuming GM Les Snead didn’t use an inordinate chunk of his salary cap space to retain the 16-year veteran – the Rams, who have only missed the playoffs once during his four-year tenure since arriving via trade from the Detroit Lions, should once again be among the NFC’s primary contenders. And that's good news for Snead, Sean McVay, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Jared Verse and anyone else affiliated with what has become one of the league's steadiest operations.

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