Ravens, Lamar Jackson Did Not Progress During February Extension Talks; QB Reports For OTAs
Lamar Jackson surfaced at Ravens OTAs Tuesday, ending another notable offseason hiatus. Considering the Ravens are implementing a new scheme — under OC Declan Doyle — Jackson showing up for offseason work is a bit more important than it has been in recent years.
New HC Jesse Minter said he and Jackson, who has frequently missed voluntary portions of offseason workouts in the past, had held discussions on when the two-time MVP would show up. With that having taken place, Jackson noise will naturally shift back to his contract. As it stands, the Ravens are in a bind on the latter front.
The Ravens restructured Jackson’s contract in March, doing so shortly after Trey Hendrickson‘s commitment to the team. Baltimore cleared nearly $40MM in 2026 cap space but moved a substantial chunk of money onto its 2027 balance sheet. While Jackson’s 2026 cap hit dropped to $34.39MM, his 2027 number ballooned to $84.34MM. With Jackson carrying no-trade and no-tag clauses, this situation looks a lot like where the Cowboys were with Dak Prescott before his record-smashing extension.
Dallas was facing a doomsday scenario in which Prescott left as a 2025 free agent and dropped a punitive dead money sum — stemming from multiple restructures — on the team’s payroll upon doing so. With the Cowboys giving Prescott a favorable extension at the March 2021 franchise tag application deadline, the player held historic leverage and used it.
The Cowboys reached a four-year, $240MM extension with Prescott hours before their season opener in 2024. That contract remains unapproached, from an AAV standpoint, nearly two years later. Among QBs signed for more than one year (excluding rookie deals), only Deshaun Watson saw a greater percentage of his contract guaranteed; Prescott received $231MM of his $240MM guaranteed in total.
Jackson is a far more accomplished player than Prescott, having soared to two MVP awards and delivered his best statistical season — in 2024 — in a year that brought a second-place MVP finish (but a first-team All-Pro nod). The Bills took care of the player who finished first in that historic MVP race (Josh Allen) with a six-year, $330MM extension, doing so despite their franchise QB having four seasons left on his previous deal. The Ravens’ efforts to extend Jackson — a stated goal ahead of free agency — did not produce a resolution, leaving the team in a time crunch with two seasons remaining on his five-year, $260MM contract.
The Ravens made an attempt to extend Jackson in February, according to Sportsboom.com’s Jason La Canfora, but those efforts went “nowhere.” A recent PFR mailbag delved into this topic, with our Adam La Rose indicating the ideal time to extend Jackson came before free agency this year. A new deal would have reduced Jackson’s 2026 cap hit without creating that bloated $84.34MM 2027 figure. Jackson’s contract would also create a $42.47MM dead money bill for the Ravens if they do not extend him before the 2028 league year. With the no-trade and no-tag clauses in place, Jackson holds Prescott-like leverage.
Prescott had seen a 2020 ankle injury sideline him but had mostly stayed healthy between then and his September 2024 payday, though he suffered a significant hamstring injury weeks after the contract was finalized. Jackson does not have a major injury on his NFL resume but has dealt with a number of issues that have kept him off the field or limited him.
This includes last season, when a hamstring injury led to a three-game absence (and an injury reporting controversy). Jackson also missed Week 17 with a back issue, running his games-missed count (including a 2022 wild-card game) to 15 — not counting his Week 18 rest in 2023 — since the 2021 season.
It is worth wondering if the Ravens view Jackson as a sufficiently safe bet as his 30s near. The QB’s resume and negotiating leverage points him toward a deal well north of Prescott’s, and the ninth-year Baltimore passer (who remains without an agent) has been a shrewd negotiator in the past. He played out his rookie contract, breaking off 2022 negotiations, and requested a trade while on the franchise tag in 2023. The Ravens and Jackson came to a five-year, $260MM agreement in April 2023, after it became clear Baltimore would not complete a fully guaranteed contract like Cleveland did for Watson (though, three-year fully guaranteed proposals did emerge before the 2023 extension).
Entering his age-29 season, Jackson has 1,081 career rushing attempts. At the eight-season mark, that is 152 more than any other QB in NFL history. The run-game wear and tear on Jackson will factor into his second extension more than his first. For now, it should still be assumed the Ravens will hand Jackson a record-setting extension. But potential longevity concerns will be something to monitor when extension talks intensify. A new deal remains the organization’s goal.
It will be interesting to see if the new-look franchise makes an aggressive effort to have this deal done with with two years remaining on his previous contract. The Cowboys did not do that in 2023, and it proved costly. The Ravens’ upcoming effort will help illustrate how they believe their future Hall of Fame QB will age.
Giants Audition DT Eddie Goldman
Following the Dexter Lawrence trade, the Giants added two 30-something defensive linemen by bringing in Shelby Harris and D.J. Reader. That upped the team’s count of D-linemen north of 30 to three, as Roy Robertson-Harris has one season remaining on his two-year contract.
But Robertson-Harris went down with an Achilles tear last week. The Giants are back in the DT market, and another veteran option is on the radar. Eddie Goldman worked out for the team today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Goldman, who missed the 2022 and ’23 seasons after retiring, spent last year with the Commanders.
Goldman is now 32, and he went through an early-2020s stretch that featured three full-season absences (the ex-Bears DT opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns). But the veteran nose tackle resurfaced with the Falcons in 2024, playing 17 games. The Commanders signed him last year, and he started in six contests.
A mainstay for the Bears in the 2010s, Goldman landed an extension with Chicago in 2018. After joining the Falcons in free agency in 2022, he retired. Atlanta gave Goldman an opportunity to return in 2023, but he landed on the team’s reserve/left squad list months later and missed all of that season as well. The Falcons gave Goldman a third chance in 2024, and he stuck with a return that year. After spending the 2024 season as a Falcons backup, Goldman joined the Commanders on a one-year deal worth $1.26MM.
The Giants have not placed Robertson-Harris on IR yet, and The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes Reader and Shelby Harris were not present at last week’s OTA workout open to the media. The team will be counting on Reader and Harris post-Lawrence, with 2025 third-round pick Darius Alexander also present as part of this quantity-based D-line staffing effort. The Giants also signed Leki Fotu, Sam Roberts and claimed Zacch Pickens as part of an offseason overhaul. The Bengals sent the Giants the No. 10 overall pick for Lawrence, and that move gave the Giants O-lineman Francis Mauigoa. Big Blue did not address its D-line in the draft until Round 6 (Bobby Jamison-Travis), helping lead to the Reader and Harris additions.
Operating more as a run stuffer than interior pass rusher during his career, Goldman tallied four tackles for loss last season. In 321 defensive snaps, Pro Football Focus ranked Goldman 81st among 127 qualified interior D-linemen. Goldman missed four games last season, suffering two concussions.
Considering Goldman’s past retirement decisions, it is interesting he is on the workout circuit following a concussion-marred campaign. But he is an 89-game starter who held a key role on a No. 1-ranked defense (Chicago’s 2018 edition). The Giants are determining what the Florida State alum has left, and they certainly have not shied away from aging DT help this offseason.
WR Tyreek Hill Uncertain To Be Ready By Week 1
The free agency lot of receivers brings considerable accomplishments. DeAndre Hopkins is a three-time first-team All-Pro, while Stefon Diggs is a four-time Pro Bowler with seven 1,000-yard seasons. Keenan Allen is the leading receiver in Chargers history, sporting six Pro Bowl invites, while Deebo Samuel — a 2021 first-team All-Pro — has been one of the most versatile players at his position in modern NFL history.
While Samuel is the youngest player here (at 30), Tyreek Hill has the best resume. The former Chiefs standout is an eight-time Pro Bowler with two 1,700-yard seasons under his belt. The off-field baggage Hill has accumulated is well documented, but the all-time speed merchant has put together a Hall of Fame-level career through 10 seasons. But the Dolphins released him in February, leaving the 32-year-old target’s future uncertain.
Hill’s market may be on hold because of multiple factors — his severe knee injury last September and another NFL investigation into alleged domestic violence — but he wants to play an 11th season. But Hill’s return timetable does not appear to align with a Week 1 return, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicating during a Pat McAfee Show appearance it may take until around midseason for the veteran pass catcher to be ready to go.
In Week 4 of last season, Hill tore multiple knee ligaments — including his ACL — and suffered a knee dislocation. That injury ending his career surfaced as a possibility, though the accomplished wideout has since expressed motivation to return. Teams figure to be monitoring this market, but it is also likely this particular free agent will not be coveted by every team in need of receiving help.
Hill entered the league with a domestic violence arrest, leading to a drop to the fifth round, and the NFL investigated him for a separate alleged act in 2019. No suspension took place then, but a different woman — ex-wife Keeta Vaccaro — has since accused Hill of eight separate domestic violence acts. The NFL is investigating Vaccaro’s claims, which could produce a suspension.
Hill’s first NFL team, the Chiefs, have shown a high tolerance threshold toward off-field trouble, but the team is already dealing with a repeat offender on this front in Rashee Rice. The Chiefs are believed to be looking for receiver help, with Schefter mentioning them as a team “maybe” looking to add at the position. No real Chiefs-Hill reunion buzz has surfaced since his Dolphins release, and while he would make sense from a scheme perspective, the Chiefs — who have been connected to Diggs — may be better suited going with a safer bet compared to a player carrying a suspension risk who also might not be ready for Week 1.
It will also be worth wondering if Hill’s prime came to an abrupt end last September. He is sure to generate interest upon recovery, but there will be an uncertainty about how much is left in the tank by that point.
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Examining Fallout From Matthew Stafford’s Fourth NFL Extension
For a third straight offseason, the Rams have adjusted Matthew Stafford's contract. Unlike the past two years, the latest move represents a full-on extension rather than a rework. The 2024 and '25 changes provided some extra security for Stafford, but this one-year, $55MM pact will set him apart in NFL contract history.
The reigning NFL MVP is no longer in a contract year, and he has now become the rare player to sign four extensions (two with the Lions, two as a Ram). This was a long-expected conclusion, though the new timeline will create some questions. Once viewed as a player Los Angeles was open to trading -- after a concerning 2022 season -- Stafford boosted his leverage with strong mid-2020s showings. A year after the Rams balked at authorizing a $50MM-per-year contract, Stafford secured one -- albeit a deal structured differently than any other in this NFL salary bracket.
Several short- and long-term components are part of this negotiating endpoint, one that provides the first construction of the Rams' Ty Simpson onramp.
Stafford breaks new contractual ground
The NFL has now seen 14 $50MM-per-year contracts designed (15 if Patrick Mahomes' 2023 rework is included). Multiple facets separate Stafford from the pack. All but three of those contracts covered at least five years in length. Dak Prescott, armed with historic leverage, managed a four-year extension in 2024. That came two years after the Packers started the $50MM-per-year club with a three-year Aaron Rodgers extension. The Texans just gave Will Anderson Jr. a three-year, $150MM pact to make the edge rusher the first non-QB in this exclusive contingent. None of the previous $50MM-AAV players even scored a two-year deal.
Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals Far Apart In Contract Talks
The Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew and drafted Carson Beck in the third round, but the team still views Jacoby Brissett as its starter. Contract negotiations are ongoing, but they aren’t in a great place.
Brissett and the Cardinals are “significantly” apart on terms as the sides discuss a reworked deal, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss reports. Brissett, Arizona’s primary 2025 starter, is tied to a two-year deal worth $12.5MM. Just $1.5MM guaranteed remains on that pact, however. That number trails projected backup Minshew’s $5.14MM guarantee at signing.
As Cardinals OTAs began this week, Brissett has been absent with negotiations ongoing. The journeyman passer has been seeking a starter-level extension. While Brissett is tied to backup money — after he signed to be the 2025 Cards’ QB2 behind Kyler Murray — Arizona is in a clear transitional phase. Brissett is prepared to miss more OTA time during these talks, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Cardinals will likely be connected to the 2027 quarterback class in the near future, and Brissett and Minshew are in place as bridges. The Beck pick is unlikely to stop the Cardinals from a high-stakes QB research project before the 2027 draft, but it stands to reason Mike LaFleur‘s team will want to see the Miami prospect in action as a rookie to gather more information.
Trading either Brissett or Minshew before the deadline would make sense, as the Cardinals may not need two veteran bridge options this season. As PFR’s Ely Allen noted recently, Beck was viewed by some evaluators as this draft class’ most pro-ready QB prospect. He will turn 25 before season’s end. With Minshew signing with the Cardinals after LaFleur’s hire, Brissett could well become the team’s preferred trade chip. But tepid interest has emerged thus far.
Brissett, 33, has not been tied to a deal worth more than $8MM per year since his Colts tenure ended in 2021. He has since played for five teams, with the Cardinals the only club authorizing a two-year pact in that span. Brissett played with the Colts from 2017-20, yoyoing between the starter and backup levels, but stopped through Miami, Cleveland, Washington and New England between 2021-24. He started 12 games last year, after Murray went down with an injury, and went 1-11 in those starts. Brissett did sport a 23:8 TD-INT ratio and finish with a career-best 64.9% completion rate, and his camp will surely emphasize these points in this renegotiation.
For now, the Cardinals have Minshew and Beck taking reps in the voluntary portion of their offseason program. While Arizona OTAs will continue past this week, the next notable chapter here may be mandatory minicamp in June. Brissett may be costing himself by not taking reps in LaFleur’s offense before that point, but for the time being, he is viewed as the Cardinals’ starter. Team and player, however, have differing views on how much that should cost in 2026.
Jimmy Haslam Played ‘Active Role’ In Browns’ 2022 Deshaun Watson Trade
No NFL transaction has defined a team’s 2020s on a level in which the Deshaun Watson trade/extension sequence shaped the Browns’ decade. The catastrophic misstep has produced nothing resembling Watson’s Texans form and is poised to clog Cleveland’s cap sheet through 2028.
Although Watson is only under contract for one more season, the Browns’ spree of restructures on the QB’s deal have them positioned to designate the high-priced player as a post-June 1 cut in 2027. That is projected to spread $86.2MM in dead money between 2027 and 2028, running the Watson contract’s time on Cleveland’s payroll to seven years.
Not long after the Browns made the decision to part with three first-round picks, two third-rounders and a fourth for Watson and a sixth, Jimmy Haslam said GM Andrew Berry devised the plan to give the quarterback a fully guaranteed contract. That offer rocketed the Browns back in the Watson sweepstakes, after he previously eliminated them during a process that appeared set to produce a Falcons commitment from the Georgia native. But the five-year, $230MM pact swayed the embattled passer.
That became a massive mistake on the Browns’ part. The team’s decision to part with the assets it did — as the first team to trade three future firsts for a QB since the 1976 49ers (Jim Plunkett) — and sign off on the fully guaranteed deal has made it widely viewed as the worst transaction in NFL history. Haslam even said last year the Watson trade was a “swing and miss,” though the owner walked that back a bit this offseason — as an interesting push for the QB to start again has taken place.
Although Berry was the front office point man at the time Watson was acquired, an ESPN.com report indicates Haslam played an “active role” in doing background work that led to the trade. Haslam, who famously pushed for the Browns’ Johnny Manziel pick in the 2014 first round, obviously needed to approve the historic transaction. But the owner being part of the process that led to it offers an interesting wrinkle in this seminal move, even if he credited/blamed Berry for hatching the scheme to convince Watson to commit to Cleveland.
Haslam doing background work is also not especially surprising, considering Watson had been hit with dozens of sexual misconduct allegations over the previous year, but this piece of information does shine a light on ownership influence in the NFL. Two of the Browns’ three playoff berths since respawning in 1999 have come during the Haslam era, but the organization also completed an astonishing 4-44 stretch during Haslam’s first decade in charge — a period that brought a run of GM and HC changes. The Browns have followed their 2023 playoff berth with an 8-26 record.
The Browns had not extended a head coach or general manager under Haslam until he authorized re-ups for Berry and Kevin Stefanski in 2024. Haslam has since fired Stefanski, making the interesting move to keep Berry at the helm despite his fingerprints being on the Watson disaster. It is worth wondering how active the owner was in bringing Watson to Ohio; Berry remaining on the job four-plus years after that trade would seem to suggest the GM was not solely responsible for the decision.
Berry said in 2024 Browns brass was aligned on the Watson trade. Stefanski had said earlier that season, before Watson’s first Achilles tear, he was not being forced by ownership to keep starting the wildly ineffective QB. Watson spent the 2025 season, after a second Achilles tear, out of the picture but has moved back to the forefront in Cleveland thanks to his competition with Shedeur Sanders for the Browns’ QB job. Haslam’s fingerprints on the team’s 2026 QB plan make for an interesting storyline to follow as the Browns enter what is likely their final year with Watson on the roster.
AFC West Notes: Chiefs, Mahomes, Broncos, Coleman, Bolts, Raiders, Gruden
Brett Veach has been given considerable credit for the Chiefs‘ plan to acquire Patrick Mahomes during the 2017 draft, though John Dorsey pulled the trigger on the trade-up move that gave Kansas City access to the future superstar. The Chiefs traded a 2017 third-round pick and their 2018 first-rounder to move from No. 27 to No. 10 (via the Bills) for the Texas Tech prospect. Plenty has changed about the organization’s trajectory since. During the process that produced the momentous K.C. trade-up, CEO Clark Hunt watched film of the prospect — then viewed as a high-variance raw talent — and deviated from his stance against trading future firsts, according to ESPN.com.
The Chiefs had not traded a future first-rounder since acquiring Trent Green from the Rams just before the 2001 draft. As Mahomes’ trajectory became clear early in his career, however, Hunt has signed off on two such trades. The team sent the Seahawks its 2019 first in the Frank Clark deal and included its 2021 first in the package to land Orlando Brown Jr. After waiting behind Alex Smith as a rookie, Mahomes zoomed to MVP honors after his best statistical season before powering the Chiefs to five Super Bowls and three titles during his 20s.
Here is the latest from the AFC West:
- The team that ended the Chiefs’ nine-year run of AFC West championships did not make a pick until the third round this year. The Broncos did make two fourth-round choices, the first being Washington running back Jonah Coleman. A key reason the Broncos tabbed the 5-foot-8, 220-pound back at No. 108 stems from his pass-protection skills. Denver brass viewed Coleman as this draft’s top pass-pro back, ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold notes. Coleman drew interest from other teams, including the Chiefs, but fell to Round 4 because of concerns about his knee. The Broncos acknowledged Coleman’s knee injected risk into the proceedings but deemed it one worth taking. Coleman will develop behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey as a rookie.
- Three picks later, Denver drafted offensive lineman Kage Casey. Starting three seasons at left tackle at Boise State, Casey looks to be making his Broncos-to-Broncos transition at a different primary position. Denver lined Casey up at left guard during its rookie minicamp, The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider notes. Sean Payton said Casey could also help at center, but his LG placement is notable due to both Ben Powers being in a contract year and the team re-signing Powers backup Alex Palczewski to a two-year, $9.5MM deal. Casey also should be expected to cross-train at tackle, as the Broncos have two 30-somethings — Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey — at those spots.
- The Chargers carried nearly $100MM in cap space into free agency but did not spend wildly. That restraint should be expected in future offseasons, with third-year GM Joe Hortiz indicating (via ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim) the Bolts are unlikely to be big spenders on outside talent under this regime. “I just believe in building through the draft and I believe in paying the players you know,” Hortiz said. Considering Hortiz’s extensive Ravens past, his ideology adds up. The Ravens are not typically big FA spenders, and they hoard compensatory picks. The Chargers did authorize three eight-figure-per-year deals in free agency (for Khalil Mack, Teair Tart and Tyler Biadasz), but only Biadasz was an outside addition.
- The Raiders are partially in the state they are because of free agency and draft misses during Jon Gruden‘s second run as head coach. One of those misses came on Clelin Ferrell, whom Gruden and then-GM Mike Mayock chose fourth overall despite most mocks having the defensive end going several picks later. The Raiders’ initial plan was to trade down and grab Ferrell later, per then-DC Paul Guenther (via The Athletic’s Zak Keefer), but the team “panicked” and went with the Clemson product at 4. The Raiders soon saw fourth-rounder Maxx Crosby outplay him. Two years later, the Raiders missed badly on first-round tackle Alex Leatherwood. Ahead of that draft, Keefer notes the Raiders had a strange setup in which Gruden’s staff and Mayock’s scouting group were each siloed and produced separate draft boards. The coaches’ board won out on Leatherwood, with Keefer indicating then-O-line coach Tom Cable talked Gruden into the Alabama blocker (whom Las Vegas cut in 2022).
Texans’ E.J. Speed Suffers Quadriceps Tear, Expected To Miss Regular-Season Time
The Texans re-signed E.J. Speed this offseason, but they are now unlikely to have the veteran linebacker available by Week 1. Speed suffered a quadriceps injury during offseason workouts.
Speed sustained a partially torn quad and a partially torn tendon, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports. The injuries will require a surgery that is expected to sideline Speed for part of the regular season. The Texans have hope Speed can return during the regular season, per Wilson, but no exact timetable is in place yet.
The injury occurred during a weightlifting session at the Texans’ facility, Wilson adds. This would make Speed eligible to land on the active/PUP list to open training camp — a near-certainty after this news — and the reserve/PUP list to open the regular season. If the Texans use the reserve/PUP list for Speed, he would be required to miss at least four games.
Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper will perform the surgery, per Wilson, who adds a three-month recovery timetable — plus additional rehab — is on track. Speed re-signed with the Texans on a two-year, $10MM deal that included $7.5MM guaranteed at signing. The Texans re-signed Speed shortly before free agency, making him a priority after a 2025 partnership.
Houston gave Speed a one-year, $3.5MM deal to come over from Indianapolis in 2025, and he started nine games while playing 44% of the Texans’ defensive snaps. The Texans have Henry To’oTo’o and the recently extended Azeez Al-Shaair in place as their top two linebackers, but Speed serves as the No. 3 LB. Although he can be classified as a part-time player, the former Colts mainstay’s $7.5MM guarantee reflects his status as a key role cog. Speed will turn 31 next month.
Players activated from the reserve/PUP list do not count toward teams’ eight injury activations during the regular season. But with Speed working as a regular starter over the past three seasons, it is still a setback to a loaded Texans defense (the former Colts fifth-rounder has 41 career starts). Houston did draft two linebackers, bringing in Wade Woodaz in Round 4 and Aiden Fisher in Round 7. Woodaz would stand to have a clearer path to playing time after the Speed setback.
Rams Considered Placing Matthew Stafford On IR To Open 2025 Season
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.