The Lions and Matthew Stafford mutually agreed to part ways this offseason as Detroit tries to rebuild under a new general manager and coaching staff. Stafford let the Lions know where his ideal landing spots were, and one was in Los Angeles.
Rather quickly, the Rams and Lions agreed to a blockbuster trade that will send Jared Goff and three draft picks to Detroit for Stafford. The Lions will inherit what’s left on Goff’s four-year deal, and the Rams will take on Stafford’s contract.
For the Rams, the trade didn’t include a required raise for Stafford. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Stafford is expected to play out the remainder of his contract, which is two years and for $43 million.
One note to the #Rams trade for Matthew Stafford: The expectation is that his contract won’t need to be changed. He has two years and $43M left and an extension or raise was not part of the deal. Finding the right spot was more important than 💰.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 31, 2021
The Rams could restructure Stafford’s deal to create cap space, but it remains to be seen if that will be done. At the very least, he’ll have manageable cap hits of $20 million and $23 million in the next two seasons.
Stafford, 32, still has plenty of good football left in him, so if the Rams find success with him under center, an extension shouldn’t be ruled out later on.
