Usually, NFL players sign two or three career contracts, at most. Some, like Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, do a few more than that.
NFL teams do hundreds. They have the expertise. They know the markets, the precedents. More accurately, they know their players.
It now appears that Stafford was never going to leave the Rams, and that he flirted with the Raiders and Giants in order to get the Rams to kick in a little more cash for 2025. There’s a good chance the Rams knew it.
It would explain their willingness to let him talk to other teams. If it was their assessment that Stafford wasn’t going to uproot his family for a team with a lesser collection of talent, why not let him talk to other teams? The Rams come off as magnanimous and selfless. If you love something, set it free.
It’s easier to set it free when you know it’ll never fly away.
While we don’t know the specific numbers that the Raiders and Giants offered, indications persist that both teams were in the range of two years, $100 million. Rams coach Sean McVay’s comments from Monday make it clear that it’s a one-year deal, with Stafford’s status beyond that to be figured out next year.
“Last year, it took about seven months,” McVay told reporters. “This year, about three weeks. Maybe it’ll be about two or three days next year if we have to do this.”
Last year, Stafford didn’t get much of an adjustment to his contract. This year, our semi-educated prediction is that the Rams originally were willing to bump his compensation package from $27 million to roughly $36 million — and that the Rams moved to $40 million after Stafford found interest elsewhere.
The Rams held firm with a far lower number than the could have gotten from a new team. There’s a good chance they knew he’d take it.
We’ll post the final numbers once they’re available. Even though Stafford has played well enough to get an annual average starting with a 5, it will likely be a 4.
And it might be right at $40 million for one year. With the next year TBD.
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