Matthew Stafford passed on much bigger payday to remain with Rams

Matthew Stafford must really love L.A.

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback flirted with the idea of playing elsewhere in his search for more guaranteed money, having only $4 million assured for 2025 and none attached to 2026 on his contract. Ultimately, Stafford settled on sticking with the team he led to a Super Bowl LVI victory, opting for a new two-year, $80 million contract — $84 million if you include the $4 million roster bonus.

As Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer pointed out Tuesday, Stafford left a lot of money on the table to stay in Southern California.

When Stafford was out seeking much greener pastures, he reportedly received offers of $100 million over two years from the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. The 37-year-old walked away from the extra $20 million from two rebuilding franchises for a Rams squad that surprisingly won the NFC West, lost to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs and is in position to make a deeper postseason run in 2025.

Details on the Matthew Stafford deal in the notes ...

• $16 million base salary, $24 million spread over 4 roster bonuses in '25.

• $16 million base salary, $24 million spread over 4 roster bonuses in '26.

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— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 6, 2025

Rams head coach Sean McVay clarified that the team had no problem with Stafford's contract drama, which began before the 2024 season.

"There is no dispute — and let's not get it twisted in regards to anybody wanting him to be our quarterback," McVay said on "Fitz & Whit" podcast with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth. "Now, there's layers to it. You have to be able to say, 'Hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure that he's getting what is his worth relative to those things?'"