Matthew Stafford now has a second Rams-designed contract, being extended on a one-year deal worth $55MM on Thursday. That agreement came after Stafford’s MVP 2025 season.
While the agreement helps the Rams with quarterback stability as they develop first-rounder Ty Simpson, Stafford has battled through injuries for most of his career. This included a bout with a back issue during training camp last year. Stafford experienced back soreness early in camp and was shut down until mid-August, not getting in a full workout until August 21. The Rams had continually said Stafford was on track for Week 1, and that turned out to be an accurate timeline. But Sean McVay revealed the team considered placing the veteran passer on IR to open the campaign.
“What people don’t realize is how close — he and I sat down — and I was like, ‘Hey, this isn’t responding the way we had hoped,'” McVay said of the injury during an appearance on the Bussin’ With the Boys podcast (h/t CBS Sports’ John Breech). “‘Let’s put you on temporary IR so we don’t put this, where we feel like this anxiety of having to hit a timeline to be ready to go.‘”
The Rams needed to determine Stafford’s status when they set their 53-man roster August 27. Los Angeles carried its fifth-year quarterback on the active roster and had him available in Week 1. Despite Jimmy Garoppolo spending most of training camp working with the team’s first-string offense, the veteran was not needed for meaningful regular-season snaps. The PFR pages did not have a Stafford update between his August 21 return to practice and the playoffs. In between, the former Lions mainstay claimed an MVP honor to strengthen his Hall of Fame case.
Had the Rams used IR to help Stafford return to full strength, they likely would have utilized one of their two August IR-return designations. Although eight regular-season activations are allowed, teams can use two of them in setting their 53-man roster each August. L.A., however, did not use either of those slots. Stafford started 17 games for the second time in his Rams career and finished with a 46:8 TD-INT ratio. Had Stafford began the season on IR, Drake Maye would likely have been named MVP. Stafford narrowly edged the second-year Patriots passer in the voting.
Upon winning MVP honors, Stafford confirmed he would return for an 18th NFL season. The 38-year-old QB is now signed through 2027, and while precise figures from this one-year, $55MM bump are not yet known, the Rams no longer have their top signal-caller in a contract year. That will help give Simpson a longer developmental period and ensure the Rams, who let Stafford shop himself in trades last year, have one of the game’s best QB options at the controls.
Wow another breaking story on PFR. Excellent finding something that fulfills your desire for at least three stories a day about something that did not happen but might have. Fascinating stuff.