-
Sarah Barshop, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said Matthew Stafford reported to camp after the team was able to adjust the quarterback’s contract.
Stafford was due a $31 million base salary this season on the four-year, $160 million deal that he signed with the Rams in 2022. While he has three years remaining on the contract, only $15 million of his $27 million salary in 2025 and none of the $26 million in 2026 were guaranteed, a team source told ESPN.
McVay declined to get into specifics of Stafford’s adjusted contract but said it was not an extension. McVay said there was “a lot of great dialogue” between the sides that was ultimately “geared towards finding a solution that really suits our team, but also accommodates some of the things that represent Matthew’s worth for us.”
“And we feel like we were able to do that,” McVay said on Tuesday. “And so that was always the goal in mind and that’s where we’re at and we’re excited about that.”
“I was grateful that we were able to get the solution and I was also grateful for a lot of the dialogue that was able to exist,” McVay said. “…I am relieved that it got done and I think in the manner at which it occurred was also healthy for everybody involved. And ultimately I’m excited for this team.”
Stafford first went to the Rams in March with the request for a contract adjustment, McVay said, but there was an “uptick in the urgency … in the last week and particularly really the last 12 hours” where “there was an ability to feel like we’re working towards a common ground.”
In April, McVay acknowledged a report that Stafford wanted more guaranteed money on his contract and said the two sides would try to figure it out. At the time, McVay said,” there’s nothing that’s more important than making sure that he feels appreciated and he knows how much we love him and want him to lead the way.” Stafford did not speak to reporters during the Rams’ offseason program.
Despite the contract negotiations, Stafford took part in the Rams’ offseason program. During minicamp in June, McVay said he “couldn’t be more impressed with the way that [Stafford has] handled it, the way that he’s led and been here every single day doing his thing.”
In 15 games last season, Stafford threw for 3,965 yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was a finalist for The Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award a season after a spinal cord contusion and time in the concussion protocol limited him to nine games.
