Los Angeles Rams were 'frustrated' with Matthew Stafford for competitive reasons this offseason

A year ago at this time, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams were still considered the NFL champions. But what a difference a year can make.

Following the Super Bowl victory, the Rams rewarded their franchise quarterback with a monumental four-year, $160 million contract. That extension didn’t even kick in until this upcoming season.

Now the 35-year-old is coming off a season-ending elbow injury that limited him to just nine games last season, and long-term concerns about the gunslinger’s durability are beginning to mount. It also doesn’t help that the front office, while putting this roster together, placed far too heavy of an emphasis on the short-term win-now approach without having much regard for the future.

We saw the overspending come back to bite the Rams this offseason, being forced to part ways with several talented players, including Allen Robinson, Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey, and more. Now there’s no telling what the Rams can do with a lack of depth, and plenty to prove.

But one report suggests the Rams were hoping to avoid their tumultuous offseason by trying to get Stafford to agree to a contract adjustment. Except, the Rams QB “wasn’t interested.”

“I was told by a source I trust that they wanted to redo his contract. He wasn’t interested. It limits what they can do and they were frustrated with him. And I could also see them next year taking a quarterback because the way to catch up in this league with personnel is rookie quarterback, go buy four good players.”
Colin Cowherd on Matthew Stafford

For the record, Stafford is set to have a cap hit of $20 million this season, which is far below what most top QBs make. Yet, his cap hit spikes to $49.5 million next season when he’ll be 36. Don’t forget, there’s still two more years after that on his deal.

In other words, the Rams better hope Stafford can spark a quick turnaround. Otherwise, this contract is only going to look worse and worse.