According to Ian Rapoport, Stafford intends to play next season but his future with Rams is still uncertain
The questions about Matthew Stafford’s future in the NFL were seemingly answered Wednesday evening, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the veteran quarterback does intends to play in 2025, however his future with the Los Angeles Rams still seems to be undecided.
From The Insiders in Mobile: #Rams QB Matthew Stafford plans to return and play in 2025, sources say, though a deal likely needs to be worked out. pic.twitter.com/ArzNDnWQsi
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 30, 2025
It seems the elephant in the room between the Rams and Stafford is his current contract, which will clearly need to be reworked if the two hope to find common ground on 2025. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Stafford “gave up his other 2025 guarantees” when the two sides restructured his deal last July, moving up money to 2024 in the form of a $12.5 million signing bonus and $23.5 million guaranteed salary.
The lack of guaranteed money on the remaining two years of his four-year extension signed in 2022 is surely a sticking point in Stafford’s negotiations, as he now looks for a larger commitment from the Rams than his current contract offers. With no real guaranteed money left, LA has gained most of the leverage on the deal going forward, as Stafford is now essentially on one-year deals for the next two seasons.
The other question is if the Rams are ready to move on from Stafford? The soon-to-be 37-year-old QB has a $49.6 million cap number into the 2025 campaign. L.A. can save $27 million by trading him in a post-June 1 move, and $23 million as a post-June 1 cut, per Over The Cap. However, that plan would involve finding a replacement quarterback and given the lack of better options via free agency and the draft, a reunion between Los Angeles and Stafford is probably in both the team’s and the player’s best interests.
In Stafford’s case, while his numbers weren’t off the charts this year, he was sensational when his team was fully healthy, playing to a level on par with the best in the league. From Week 8 on (when the majority of their starters came back from injury), Stafford had 17 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and 2,370 passing yards. That also includes a missed week, as the Rams rested most of their starters for the playoffs in the final game of the season.
Head Coach Sean McVay has gotten his “sooner rather than later” answer from Stafford, at least as far as his intentions to play go. The question now is whether or not the team wants Stafford back, and if they do, can they find a way to get an updated contract done with their Super Bowl winning quarterback.
