Rams Legends Named Hall of Fame Bag Getters

Stafford is one of two players (Thomas Morstead) from the 2009 NFL Draft who are still playing as due to timing and being great at throwing a football, Stafford is the richest player from his class.

Being drafted first overall before the 2011 CBA was finalized, Stafford was entitled to a massive deal from the Lions, a commonplace occurrence with first overall picks before the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

"When he agreed to terms on a six-year, $72 million deal with the Lions, the $41.7 million in guarantees was the largest figure for any player in league history, topping the $41 million defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth had been guaranteed by Washington earlier that offseason," wrote Barnwell.

Stafford then signed a three-year extension for $53 million with over $41 million guaranteed. That takes us to his 10th year in the NFL, where his next extension, a record-setting five-year, $135 million contract, confirmed he would be the richest player drafted in 2009.

However, when he was traded to the Rams in the 2021 offseason, no one outside of Los Angeles could have anticipated his move to the Rams would have resulted in such instant success, winning Super Bowl LVI.

Stafford then signed a four-year, $160 million extension in the 2022 offseason, a deal that included the NFL's third-largest signing bonus at that time.

But as all Rams fans know, it doesn't end there. In the 2024 offseason, the Rams restructured his deal to avoid a training camp holdout, moving his guaranteed money for that season, essentially giving him a year-to-year deal where Stafford and the Rams would have to negotiate terms per season.

That takes us to this offseason, where Stafford's faint to leave the Rams forced an emergency meeting between Stafford and Sean McVay, leading to essentially a two-year, $80 million raise through 2026.

Through a combination of being born at the right time, playing the right position, and of course, the classic and universal experience of randomly running into Tom Brady, the minority owner of the team ready to hand Stafford a nine-figure deal should he depart Los Angeles in a random ski resort in Montana, Stafford is set to make $448 million in his career if he retires after 2026.

Jalen Ramsey was also added to the list after the Rams gave him a five-year, $100 million contract, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. Then the Miami Dolphins gave him a new deal upon being traded back to the Sunshine state, guaranteeing his money in 2023, plus adding more guaranteed money on top of that, spread out through the rest of the contract.

Last offseason, Ramsey signed a three-year, $72.4 million extension. Ramsey then secured an extra $1.5 million from the Steelers after his trade to Pittsburgh. If Ramsey plays through 2028, he'll walk away from the NFL with at least $210 million.