Earlier in the offseason, Matthew Stafford restructured his contract to remain a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
Let’s take a look at Stafford’s new deal and how it impacts his career earnings.
Matthew Stafford’s Career At a Glance
As he approaches his 17th season in the NFL, former first-overall pick Matthew Stafford is aiming to play a bit longer. This week, the details of the restructured contract became public, though the deal initially reported weeks ago.
In the previous iteration of his Rams contract, the 37-year-old Stafford had two years remaining on the four-year, $160 million contract extension he signed in 2022, shortly after leading Los Angeles to a championship in his first season with the team.
However, his $27 million salary for the upcoming season was well below the compensation typically given to quarterbacks of Stafford’s caliber. Additionally, the deal only had $4 million in guaranteed money left for 2025, with none remaining for 2026.
Current Salary
Thanks to the contract revision, Stafford will now see his salary for the 2025 season jump from 27 million to 44 million, according to Yahoo Sports’ Cameron Da Silva. The Rams lowered their quarterback’s cap hit by roughly nine million dollars by tacking on five void years to the back end of the deal made this happen.
Over The Cap states that Stafford will now enjoy 56 million dollars in guarantees, giving him more money in the short term while also allowing the team to enjoy cap room years from now.
Head coach Todd McVay expressed his appreciation of Stafford and his new contract and how it will benefit of the team, via Pro Football Talk with Mike Florio:
“It’s going to be a great representation of the selflessness of Matthew Stafford, the ability for us to say, ‘All right, we had some hard conversations but we were able to come to a collaboration and understanding of, hey, we love you.”
“We want you here. This is how we’re able to build the right team around you, but also make you feel appreciated.’ He made some sacrifices to continue to stay with us and for that I’m damn grateful.”
Salary History
As of this writing, the Rams and Lions have combined to pay Stafford a total of $364,313,912. During his rookie season, he earned $3,100,000. Over the next fifteen seasons, Stafford never earned less than $8,327,068 annually.
Stafford started earning the big money at the dawn of the new era where quarterbacks routinely make eight figures per season. Considering he left Detroit with a record of 74-90-1, his ability to play at least six more seasons stands as a testament to his talent.
With another 4,000-yard season in 2025, Stafford would pass Dan Marino, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and Philip Rivers, in career passing yards.
Stafford’s career, marked by perseverance and impressive longevity, continues to solidify his legacy among the NFL’s greats.