Why Matthew Stafford’s OTA appearance is a positive indication for the Rams’ quarterback of the future Although he isn’t waiting around for a new contract, Matthew Stafford wants one.
Though he deserves it as well, Matthew Stafford wants the Los Angeles Rams to renegotiate his contract in order to add more guaranteed money. Despite this, the quarterback is continuing to participate in voluntary organized practice (OTA) while awaiting word from the negotiation table. Stetson Bennett and other Rams teammates are practicing with Stafford, who hasn’t yet displayed any indications that he might hold out.
With Jared Goff now earning the second-highest salary of any NFL player on a per-year basis thanks to the Detroit Lions, Stafford’s agents should be prepared to hold the Rams hostage. In addition to winning a Super Bowl, Stafford is superior to Goff, and the Rams lack a strong backup quarterback. It seems reasonable that Stafford would want to receive the same compensation as Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald did following the team’s 2022 Super Bowl victory.
Although Stafford earns $40 million annually, quarterbacks of his caliber typically command salaries of at least $50 million. With a guaranteed salary of $31 million for the entire 2024 season, the Rams owe him nothing for the following season. Should something go wrong, they may even be forced to cut him in 2025, when he will have a non-guaranteed salary of $27 million and a $5 million roster bonus. Stafford ought to be hoping that the Rams rip up his previous contract and replace it with something closer to a three-year, $150 million agreement that includes a $100 million guarantee. That seems more in line with what a quarterback who has won a Super Bowl, at the age of 36, ought to be asking of his team. That is the cost of starting without Nick Foles.
But for the time being, Stafford is working out and acting normally, as we have come to expect from him. Since Stafford has always been a professional and has made an effort to avoid controversy in the media, we can probably anticipate two things: the Rams will soon pay him and Stafford will remain silent in public.
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