After paying off for the Rams in Year 1, Matthew Stafford is cashing in.
The club and its Super Bowl-winning quarterback are closing in on a four-year, $160 million contract that includes $135 million guaranteed and a $60 million signing bonus, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday. The new pact, which the Rams later confirmed, is effectively for three years and worth $129 million with added years for cap purposes, Rapoport added.
This has been in the works for weeks, with the two sides preparing before Super Bowl LVI to hammer out an extension in the offseason. Stafford is taking less than he could have to help build another championship squad, Rapoport noted. The restructure should clear close to $10 million off the Rams' 2022 salary cap, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported. That tracks with coach Sean McVay's comments in early March about prospective new deals for his 34-year-old QB and all-world defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
"I think the other thing that's special is that these guys deserve, and will be rewarded accordingly, but I think they also understand, they want to work in coordination to try to help us be as competitive as we can," McVay said.
Stafford's 2021 arrival already accomplished as much. After toiling in Detroit for more than a decade, the former No. 1 overall pick had one of his most productive seasons with the Rams, and by far his most successful. He ranked sixth in the league in passer rating (102.9), fourth in pass yards per game (287.4) and second in touchdowns (41) during the regular season. His 139.6 passer rating versus the blitz is the highest mark of any QB over the past six seasons, per NFL Research. Stafford's efficiency only improved in the playoffs while leading L.A. to fourth-quarter comebacks in the NFC title game and the Super Bowl.
With Stafford officially running it back, at a favorable cap number no less, the Rams improved their chances of doing so, as well.
