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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is entering a defining era, despite being on the back end of his career. While his time in the NFL may be limited in theory due to his age, his arm talent and intelligence continue to give him an advantage over the opposition.
Stafford is entering the final year of his deal and while both he and the Rams are committed to the future, there's nothing on paper preventing Stafford from leaving Los Angeles after this season. The Rams and Stafford have engaged in a year-to-year contract negotiation for the last few seasons, meeting annually to renegotiate what his guaranteed money will look like each year. The benefit for the Rams was that during those negotiations, Stafford was still under contract and was unable to test the open market.
Last offseason, the Rams played a game of chicken with Stafford, and Stafford won. Stafford then doubled down on his new deal by earning MVP honors, giving him the ultimate leverage in his current contract talks. The Rams did have an ace, and that is Stafford's personal life.
If Stafford were to leave the Rams, that would mean moving his entire family out of a place that they're comfortable with and accustomed to for the second time in his career. The other part is that if Stafford were to make that leap, it's likely his new team won't be a contender. Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants were the two teams fighting for Stafford's services.
Stafford will play for the Rams in 2026, but after this season, he has the ability to leave and could be incentivized to do so after the team drafted his successor in Ty Simpson. Good succession plans work when the mentor is taken care of financially. That ensures their status as a starter. The Rams are not going to pay Stafford $45-plus million to sit on the bench.
Which is why the Rams need to secure Stafford's future immediately. The reason is that after this season, there are two contenders in need of a veteran quarterback, which represents two cities Stafford might not mind moving to.
The first is the Houston Texans. Stafford grew up and went to high school in Dallas, and while his hometown is a little under four hours away from Houston, the differences aren't enough to dissuade an interested party. The region is great for education, business, and media. From a football standpoint, Houston is on the verge of a dynasty if it can land a quarterback.
It's a bold thing to say about a franchise that's never reached an AFC Championship Game but C.J. Stroud's regression has been so bad that it masks the fact that Houston had the NFL's best defense last season – and has had one of the best for quite some time. Houston is also littered with offensive playmakers, and to be frank, the Texans have a more complete roster than the Rams.
If the Texans had Stafford, they would've won the Super Bowl last season. That defense was unstoppable, and so was Stafford. The problem is that in the playoffs, Houston didn't have a confident, composed passer, and the Rams didn't have a stout defense. Former Rams assistant Nick Caley is also the Texans' current offensive coordinator.
The other sleeper team is the Atlanta Falcons. They're not at a championship level yet, but Kevin Stefanski is in the building, and he took the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs twice. Their quarterback situation is unclear; Stafford attended the University of Georgia, and the Falcons are ready to win right now.
Raheem Morris left an impressive defense in place, while the Falcons' use of Bijan Robinson and Drake London has been questionable in recent seasons. Despite monster years from both, they were actually underutilized and should shine in Stefanski's system.
The point is that the Rams need to satisfy Stafford as soon as possible because he has attractive suitors waiting in the wings for his services. Stafford has watched this scenario play out in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers, and if there's one thing he knows how to do, it's exit a situation turning sour.
Time is on Stafford's side. His exit date is in less than one year. Plus, Stafford's value has never been greater, even at his age.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams must extend Matthew Stafford soon with suitors lurking in 2027
Continue reading...
Stafford is entering the final year of his deal and while both he and the Rams are committed to the future, there's nothing on paper preventing Stafford from leaving Los Angeles after this season. The Rams and Stafford have engaged in a year-to-year contract negotiation for the last few seasons, meeting annually to renegotiate what his guaranteed money will look like each year. The benefit for the Rams was that during those negotiations, Stafford was still under contract and was unable to test the open market.
Last offseason, the Rams played a game of chicken with Stafford, and Stafford won. Stafford then doubled down on his new deal by earning MVP honors, giving him the ultimate leverage in his current contract talks. The Rams did have an ace, and that is Stafford's personal life.
If Stafford were to leave the Rams, that would mean moving his entire family out of a place that they're comfortable with and accustomed to for the second time in his career. The other part is that if Stafford were to make that leap, it's likely his new team won't be a contender. Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants were the two teams fighting for Stafford's services.
Stafford will play for the Rams in 2026, but after this season, he has the ability to leave and could be incentivized to do so after the team drafted his successor in Ty Simpson. Good succession plans work when the mentor is taken care of financially. That ensures their status as a starter. The Rams are not going to pay Stafford $45-plus million to sit on the bench.
Which is why the Rams need to secure Stafford's future immediately. The reason is that after this season, there are two contenders in need of a veteran quarterback, which represents two cities Stafford might not mind moving to.
The first is the Houston Texans. Stafford grew up and went to high school in Dallas, and while his hometown is a little under four hours away from Houston, the differences aren't enough to dissuade an interested party. The region is great for education, business, and media. From a football standpoint, Houston is on the verge of a dynasty if it can land a quarterback.
It's a bold thing to say about a franchise that's never reached an AFC Championship Game but C.J. Stroud's regression has been so bad that it masks the fact that Houston had the NFL's best defense last season – and has had one of the best for quite some time. Houston is also littered with offensive playmakers, and to be frank, the Texans have a more complete roster than the Rams.
If the Texans had Stafford, they would've won the Super Bowl last season. That defense was unstoppable, and so was Stafford. The problem is that in the playoffs, Houston didn't have a confident, composed passer, and the Rams didn't have a stout defense. Former Rams assistant Nick Caley is also the Texans' current offensive coordinator.
The other sleeper team is the Atlanta Falcons. They're not at a championship level yet, but Kevin Stefanski is in the building, and he took the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs twice. Their quarterback situation is unclear; Stafford attended the University of Georgia, and the Falcons are ready to win right now.
Raheem Morris left an impressive defense in place, while the Falcons' use of Bijan Robinson and Drake London has been questionable in recent seasons. Despite monster years from both, they were actually underutilized and should shine in Stefanski's system.
The point is that the Rams need to satisfy Stafford as soon as possible because he has attractive suitors waiting in the wings for his services. Stafford has watched this scenario play out in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers, and if there's one thing he knows how to do, it's exit a situation turning sour.
Time is on Stafford's side. His exit date is in less than one year. Plus, Stafford's value has never been greater, even at his age.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams must extend Matthew Stafford soon with suitors lurking in 2027
Continue reading...
