During the NFL Combine, the rumor mill was flying, so much so that at one point, it felt inevitable that the Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford were heading to a split. Cooler heads prevailed, and both sides came to an agreement that would keep the gunslinger in Los Angeles.
Rams fans could breathe a heavy sigh of relief, knowing that their future Hall of Fame quarterback was not going anywhere. The details of the new deal were never revealed, and now we know why.
The new deal has yet to be signed or even fully agreed to yet.
Matthew Stafford’s Contract With Los Angeles Rams Still Not A Done Deal
The annual league meetings just wrapped up down in Florida, and a lot of news came out of them. The Rams and running back Kyren Williams are working towards an extension, but nothing has been done yet, and it sounds like there is no hurry.
What should be done timely, is Matthew Stafford’s new contract. While we all thought it was a done deal, a new report from ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler reveals that is not the case.
“With Rams coach Sean McVay revealing this week that quarterback Matthew Stafford might not have signed his new contract, here’s what I head about the situation coming out of the owners meetings: The deal is agreed upon in principle but a few minor details must be hashed out; The Rams and Stafford agreed about a month ago that he would not be traded and that the Rams would increase his compensation in 2025, which was a priority for Stafford. And Stafford eschewed massive money on the trade market to remain a Ram, as long as the team respected his stature in the game with a more enticing deal, which they feel they did.”
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While we don’t know what the “minor details” are that need to be hashed out, it is surprising that it has not been taken care of yet.
I don’t think there is any reason to panic, and Stafford was present for all off-season activities last year during a long contract negotiation, so I would expect the same this time. But the Rams do not want to let this thing bleed out.
What we do know is that it is going to be a one-year deal. So, regardless of how long it takes, it should not have a ton of influence on what the team does in the upcoming draft. If they want to take a quarterback at some point, which I believe they will, this contract stalemate should not persuade or disuade them one way or another.
However, for all of our sake, let’s hope pen hits paper sooner rather than later.