How Matthew Stafford's Deal Impacts Rams' Cap Space

Back in April, Matthew Stafford was asked about why he decided to return to the Rams after testing the market.

“It wasn’t something that happened on that Friday during that meeting. It’s not one thing that sits there and goes, ‘Hey, this is the reason. There's one thing that makes me want to come back.’ There are so many positive things about our organization and about our team."

"I never really wanted to leave. I’m just happy to be back and happy that the Rams want me back. We can move forward and hopefully have a great season.”

Well, Stafford got about $40 million more positive things on Monday.

The Rams and Matthew Stafford have a new deal in place as reported by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.

In 2025, Stafford will earn $44 million in an essentially fully guaranteed deal for this season. However, the idea that this is Stafford's swan song year couldn't be further from the truth, as the terms indicate plans for Stafford to remain with Los Angeles through 2026.

"If Matthew Stafford is on the Rams roster next [year] at the start of FA [Free Agency], he’ll lock in another $40M. Stafford was on the books for $58M over 2 years, now it's $84M over 2 years. Wrote Rapoport. "Coach Sean McVay recently told Adam Schein of Mad Dog Unleashed Radio, 'I think he can play as long as he wants, but fortunately, I'm hoping it's a couple more years."

This is how it affects the Rams. According to overthecap.com, Stafford has a cap hit of $47.4 million in 2025 and $48.2 million in 2026. Stafford also has a $33 million cap hit in 2027 with that coming on a void year.

Keep in mind the Rams are still paying off Aaron Donald despite Donald retiring after the 2023 season so it's common practice.

Now that the numbers are finalized, it doesn't hurt the Rams at all in 2025. They know have $19.8 million in cap space, more than enough to sign their 2025 NFL Draft class and have a healthy amount remaining for the season.

It does impact Jalen Ramsey trade talks as now that Stafford's deal is finalized, there is an amount Miami must minimally eat of Ramsey's deal in order to facilitate a move to Los Angeles.