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Rams Begin Contract Talks With MVP Matthew Stafford as Year-to-Year Plan Continues

Team officials describe a stable, year-to-year arrangement with an extension possible before free agency.

Overview

  • Head coach Sean McVay said the Rams and Matthew Stafford have had "great dialogue" and expect to work through contract details.
  • General manager Les Snead indicated the team will maintain a year-to-year approach with Stafford and did not rule out a new deal this offseason.
  • Stafford enters the final season of his contract owed $40 million with an estimated $48.3 million cap hit, and his 2026 salary reportedly guarantees in mid-March, guiding cap moves ahead of the March 11 free-agency opener.
  • Backup Jimmy Garoppolo is set to hit free agency with reported interest from the Cardinals, and McVay said he would "absolutely" like him back.
  • Succession planning is ongoing, with draft chatter linking the Rams to Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in Round 1 and some analysts also mentioning Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia as a late-round or undrafted project.