Matthew Stafford Adds Another Year With the Rams. Sean McVay Just Got His Best News of the Offseason.
Sean McVay finally got the call he wanted. Matthew Stafford has agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Rams that adds the 2027 season to his deal and pays him $55 million for that year, with incentives that can push the figure to $60 million.
The reigning NFL MVP just turned the Rams into a Super Bowl contender for at least one more season. And by the structure of the deal, this is probably the last extension Stafford is going to sign in his career.
The MVP Season Justifies Every Dollar
Stafford threw for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns against just eight interceptions in 2025. The yardage led the NFL. The touchdown total was a career high. The interception rate was the second-best of his career. He won his first MVP at age 37.
He also led the Rams to the NFC Championship Game, where they fell to the Eagles in a coin-flip game that came down to a fourth-quarter drive Philadelphia would not have completed without a phantom defensive holding call. The Rams were probably the second-best team in the NFC last year. Stafford was the reason.
The extension is structured to keep Stafford in Los Angeles through at least his age-39 season. That is a significant commitment for a Rams franchise that had reportedly considered moving on from Stafford after the 2024 season before he flipped the calculation with one of the best campaigns of his career.
What This Means for the Rams’ Window
The Rams just signed up for another 18 months of “win now.” That has implications.
Puka Nacua is going into his contract year. The Rams almost certainly extend him this summer. Cooper Kupp is gone. Davante Adams arrived last March on a one-year deal to fill the WR1 void. The defense is anchored by Aaron Donald’s replacement Kobie Turner, who broke out as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate last season.
The offensive line is the question. Stafford is mobile for a 38-year-old but he is not Lamar Jackson. He needs a clean pocket. The Rams have to figure out left tackle after Alaric Jackson signed with Chicago in free agency.
Les Snead has been the most aggressive general manager in the league for almost a decade. The extension tells you he is going all in on this group for two more years. Expect a draft pick trade or two before training camp.
Stafford’s Place in History
It is easy to forget how good Stafford has been because he spent the first half of his career on bad Lions teams. Career numbers: over 60,000 passing yards, 380 touchdowns, a Super Bowl ring, and now an MVP. Those are Hall of Fame credentials.
If he plays out the extension and retires after 2027, Stafford will be the third quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl and an MVP in his late 30s. The other two are Tom Brady and John Elway. That is decent company.
The crazy part is that Stafford is not playing like he is winding down. He looked the best he has ever looked in the second half of last season. He moved the pocket better, he made faster reads, he stopped trying to force throws into double coverage. Working with Sean McVay for five seasons has clearly accelerated whatever development time he never got in Detroit.
The Bottom Line
The Rams have the reigning MVP locked up through 2027. They have one of the best play callers in football running the offense. They have a defense that is younger than people realize. They have draft capital and a roster with very few weak spots.
The NFC is wide open. The Eagles still have to figure out their defense. The 49ers are dealing with cap-related turnover. The Lions have the most talent in the conference but they still have not won a playoff game in the Dan Campbell era beyond their breakthrough run.
The Rams might be the team to beat. And now they know exactly who is taking the snaps for the next two years.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
