Matthew Stafford plans to play football in 2025, but perhaps only under a new contract. There’s only one problem for the former Super Bowl champion: His current team, the Los Angeles Rams, does not want to make any “significant financial commitment to a veteran quarterback” with long-term availability and durability concerns, according to The Athletic.
Stafford fits squarely into that category. While he declared before the 2024 season he expected to play several more years, the 37-year-old signal-caller briefly contemplated retirement following this season. He’s also missed multiple games due to injury in two of his last three seasons, battling head, elbow, hip and thumb issues since winning Super Bowl LVI to close his first year in Los Angeles.
The Rams, meanwhile, believe their “core identity” now revolves around “a youthful roster built through the draft,” as The Athletic reported. It’s a far cry from when Stafford first arrived via trade in 2021, and Rams brass openly flaunted its desire to sacrifice future draft capital for immediate success.
Stafford, for what it’s worth, seems acutely aware of the possibility he’ll need to play elsewhere if his top priority is a pay raise; he’s currently due more than $49 million in 2025 as part of an extension that ties him to the Rams through 2026. The quarterback’s wife, Kelly, recently acknowledged a potential breakup, even declaring that she’d be open to relocating their family to continue Stafford’s career.
Just because the Rams aren’t interested in spending big money on a veteran quarterback doesn’t mean the team wouldn’t be open to exploring a bargain-bin replacement, however. ESPN indicated recently that Aaron Rodgers, who’s expected to be released by the New York Jets, could be an option for Los Angeles if Stafford is traded elsewhere prior to 2025.
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Author: Cody Benjamin
February 19, 2025 | 2:25 pm
