Matthew Stafford has already said multiple times that he’s not retiring, making it clear that he’s playing in 2023 after suffering a spinal cord contusion this season. With Sean McVay back as the head coach, the Rams are going to make sure Stafford remains in Los Angeles for at least one more year.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Rams are expected to pick up Stafford’s option bonus by the third day of the league year, which will guarantee Stafford $62 million and thus keep him on the roster.
If the Rams opt not to pick up the option, they could conceivably move on from him by designating him a post-June 1 cut, clearing some cap space. But there’s no question Stafford is their best option at quarterback when healthy.
Stafford only has a base salary of $1.5 million in 2023, with a cap hit of $20 million. His salary spikes to $31 million (fully guaranteed) in 2024, and his cap hit also goes up to $49.5 million next year, too.
This past season, Stafford played just nine games. He was placed in the concussion protocol twice and was ruled out for the season after suffering a neck injury in Week 11. He finished the year with just 10 touchdown passes and eight interceptions.
