NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero provided new details Wednesday on the contract extension recently signed by reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously reported the Los Angeles Rams quarterback is now owed $105 million over the next two seasons.
According to Pelissero, that deal contains guaranteed money as part of March bonuses that won’t trigger until after the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The first deadline for future guarantees will take place on the third day of the 2027 league year, at which point Stafford will be owed $45 million in guaranteed 2027 salary and $5 million in a 2028 roster bonus, according to Pelissero.
That will put the Rams on track to make their next contract decision about Stafford in mid-March 2027, Pelissero noted.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport previously reported the Rams “believe there’s a real chance [Stafford] plays after 2026.”
The next contract decision deadline would take place on the 10th day of the 2028 league year the following March, according to Pelissero.
Stafford would have turned 40 just before that deadline, which Pelissero reported is when a $100 million base salary for 2029 would vest.
That date “creates a deadline for the sides to work out a new deal or move on,” Pelissero noted.
Pelissero also reported details as to what Stafford needs to do to reach the $5 million in incentives on top of the $100 million base salary in his contract.
Additionally, Stafford will receive $2.5 million for winning the NFC title game and pocket another $2.5 million for a Super Bowl victory, according to Pelissero.
The Rams went as far as the NFC Championship Game in Stafford’s MVP season before losing to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks.
Stafford’s new contract reaffirms the Rams’ plan to keep him in place after using a first-round pick to select former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead made it clear immediately after drafting Simpson that Stafford would remain the team’s starter going forward. McVay has indicated his team will stick with Stafford “as long as he wants to play.”
McVay will need to decide this offseason as to whether Simpson or Stetson Bennett will be backing up Stafford as he heads into his sixth season with the Rams. That battle may have begun Tuesday with the start of OTA practices.
