The Rams and Matthew Stafford have agreed to a restructured contract that keeps the quarterback in Los Angeles, the team announced Friday.
The adjusted contract came after the Rams gave Stafford's agent, Jimmy Sexton, permission to speak to other teams about his value in the quarterback market. After discussions with the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants about contract parameters, Stafford and the Rams were able to come to an agreement on a reworked contract.
With Stafford remaining with the Rams, the Giants are investigating all veteran quarterback options, including Aaron Rodgers, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Raiders, meanwhile, are now to look into veteran options that include Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Sam Darnold, sources said.
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The Rams also reached a deal with one of Stafford's offensive linemen, as the team and offensive tackle Alaric Jackson reached a three-year, $57 million contract ($35M guaranteed) ahead of free agency, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Earlier in the week, Rams coach Sean McVay said on the "Fitz & Whit" podcast that the team's "first goal" was to have Stafford remain the starting quarterback but that the organization was trying to balance the short-term and long-term roster decisions that come from an adjusted contract.
"There is no dispute -- and let's not get it twisted in regards to anybody wanting him to be our quarterback," McVay said. "Now, there's layers to it. You have to be able to say, 'Hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure that he's getting what is his worth relative to those things?'"
Stafford, who signed a contract extension with the Rams in March 2022, had two seasons left on the extension with $4 million guaranteed in 2025 and no guaranteed money in 2026.
Last offseason, Stafford agreed to a reworked contract, an adjustment that took until the day the Rams reported to training camp. McVay said after the season that he hoped the team and Stafford would have clarity on the situation "sooner than later."
"I'm sure proud of the body of work and really proud of the way that he's played," McVay said during his end-of-season news conference. "The coolest thing you can say about Matthew is he shines the brightest on the biggest stages. When you look at the seven playoff games that he's played in since he's been a Ram, he certainly gives you a chance every time you step out on the field, and for that I'm sure appreciative."
After Stafford spent his first 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, the Rams traded for him before the 2021 season. In his first season in Los Angeles, Stafford and the Rams won Super Bowl LVI.
In 16 games last season, Stafford completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Stafford is 191 yards shy of 60,000 career passing yards, a milestone nine other quarterbacks have reached.