The Rams have quarterback Matthew Stafford under contract through the 2026 season, but the team apparently considered parting ways with him earlier this offseason.
Such a move would’ve been surprising considering Stafford guided Los Angeles to victory in Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, but the Rams apparently wanted to avoid paying out $59 million in contract bonuses. Stafford signed a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason.
With all that in mind, former NFL executive Michael Lombardi said the Rams fervently tried to trade Stafford this offseason in an effort to get out from under his contract.
Lombardi made the revelation Friday on The Pat McAfee Show, explaining that the Rams tried “with a lot of effort” to trade Stafford early this offseason.
“When his option bonus was getting ready to kick in, they attempted, with a lot of effort, to trade him—any team could have had him. The problem was, you had to absorb the $59 million, and the Rams knew there was no way around the $59 million. They couldn’t get around it unless they traded him and somebody else took it,” Lombardi stated.
Stafford, 35, has spent two seasons with the Rams and helped lead the team to a 12-5 record and a Super Bowl victory during the 2021 season. He threw for 4,886 yards with 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in the ’21 regular season. Unfortunately, the ’22 season didn’t go as planned, with Stafford playing in just nine games due to injury and posting a 3-6 record during that span.
If healthy, Stafford could be primed for a bounce-back season, but the Rams have been forced to shed a fair amount of talent due to salary cap considerations this offseason.
