Turf Show Times
Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic outlines that Rams are torn between bringing Stafford back and giving the QB a long-term deal
A report from The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue indicates that the Los Angeles Rams met with Matthew Stafford’s representation before the Super Bowl to discuss adjusting the quarterback’s contract. According to Rodrigue, “not much progressed after their opening conversations, and will pick back up in the coming weeks”:
Though it has been clear over the past month that the Los Angeles Rams are ready to move on from receiver Cooper Kupp, quarterback Matthew Stafford’s situation remains fluid. The sides met to talk before the Super Bowl, although not much progressed after their opening conversations, and will pick back up in the coming weeks, a league source said...
There are two truths: Eventually, the Rams need to secure a long-term quarterback who will grow with the roster and won’t prohibit them from paying their first- and second-year stars when those extensions are due (plus whoever comes next at quarterback). But also, their roster is ready to win earlier than many expected, so why wouldn’t they plug back in their elite quarterback and make another run?...
An NFC executive who spoke to me on the condition of anonymity said if he were in the Rams’ position, he couldn’t get rid of Stafford because he’d be too hard to replace at his current level. An NFC coach said something similar, adding that he believed Stafford had at least one more year in him at his current level of play but noted if the Rams keep him, they’re only avoiding their future problem for that one additional year. An AFC executive said he could see the Rams trading Stafford if they could recoup enough assets (the implication was they haven’t hesitated to trade star players in the past), and a separate AFC executive believed Stafford would play one more year in L.A.
The new league year starts on March 12th, which is a key date in terms of contract structures and the kickoff of free agency.
The Rams spent last offseason negotiating an adjustment to Stafford’s contract and the deal took months to put together. Ultimately that change borrowed money from future seasons and left the veteran with no guaranteed money left on his deal. This is crux of why LA is back at the bargaining table and why Stafford is looking for potentially his third contract adjustment in four years.
Los Angeles doesn’t have the luxury of waiting out the other side this time around. They can’t chew clock and wait until training came to strike a deal. There’s less than a month left until the start of the new NFL calendar year, and that means they need answers on whether they will commit to Stafford by that point.
The importance of March 12th is not only attributable to Stafford’s contract and potential bonuses,...
