Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his agent are shopping to determine his worth. Meantime, the Rams must determine whether they will pay Stafford a competitive rate to remain with them another season or trade him to save cash and acquire draft capital.
Coach Sean McVay said this week there is “no doubt” about wanting Stafford to continue leading the Rams.
“There’s no doubt in my mind who I want to be our quarterback,” McVay said on the Fitz & Whit podcast. “Now, how we get to that, because these decisions aren’t made in a vacuum, that’s the challenging thing.”
Stafford, 37, is due to earn $30 million in salary and bonuses — with $4 million guaranteed — on a salary-cap number of $49.7 million, according to Overthecap.com. It is the second year in a row that a contract impasse between the Rams and Stafford has clouded the Rams’ offseason.
The Rams gave Stafford and his representatives permission to speak with teams about potential contract terms should the Rams trade the 16-year veteran. According to reports, several teams have inquired about Stafford, including the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. The Las Vegas Review-Journal, citing multiple unnamed NFL sources, reported that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has been in contact with Stafford.
The NFL’s new league year begins March 12, two days after an unofficial negotiating period for teams and free agents to begin discussions.
If Stafford wants a new multiyear deal at or near $50 million per year — he has two years left on the extension he signed in 2022 — the Rams could pass on bringing back the player who led them to a Super Bowl title and two other playoff appearances.
During the podcast, McVay said he has had “great dialogue” with Stafford. He said that in initial discussions, the Rams “had something in mind, he had something in mind, and nobody was right or wrong.”
McVay said the challenge comes from looking at the short term and the long term.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was cleared to speak with other teams to assess his market value.
(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
“As you try to put together the puzzle for your football team,” McVay said, “you have to be able to say, ‘Hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure he is getting what is his worth relative to those things?’”
The situation has led to “a lot of sleepless nights,” McVay said.
However it plays out, McVay said he learned lessons about the importance of clarity and communication from the poor way he handled the situation when the Rams traded Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions for Stafford.
“I had some growing up to do, could have done a better job for Jared,” McVay said. “There’s a lot more respect and etiquette that he deserved in the way that that was handled on my end.”
Stafford’s situation is the most pressing for a team that also could trade receiver Cooper Kupp and make other moves before the start of the league year.
The Rams have given offensive lineman Jonah Jackson’s representatives permission to explore a trade, a person with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday. The person requested anonymity because no deal has been made.
Jackson, 28, is entering the second year of a three-year contract that included $34 million in guarantees, according to overthecap.com. He is scheduled to earn $9 million next season, which becomes guaranteed if he’s on the roster March 15, according to the website.
Jackson, a Pro Bowl selection for the Detroit Lions in 2021, played only four games last season. He suffered a shoulder injury during training camp, aggravated the injury during the second game and was on injured reserve for six games. He returned to start against the Miami Dolphins but did not play the next seven games before playing the season finale while McVay rested starters for the playoffs.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
