There is a very good chance that Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford is entering his final season with the Los Angeles Rams.
Stafford, 35, is coming off an injury-plagued and disappointing 2022 campaign. He was a major part of the Rams struggling to a 5-12 record a season after winning the Super Bowl.
According to NFL insider Michael Lombardi, this led to the Rams making every effort to trade the former No. 1 pick during the offseason.
“Before his option bonus was kicking in the Rams attempted with a lot of effort to move Matthew Stafford,” Lombardi noted (h/t the Pat McAfee show).
Said option bonus made it impossible for the Rams to move on from the veteran signal caller. It guaranteed him $57 million more in cash on his four-year, $160 million contract. For Los Angeles moving off Stafford would’ve created a $111.5 million dead cap hit.
That doesn’t even take into account what the receiving team would have had to pay. In reality, a trade was never going to happen once that bonus kicked in on March 17. However, this does lend credence to the idea that Stafford is not long for Southern California as he embarks on his third season with the Rams.
Related: Find out where Matthew Stafford ranks among NFL QBs
This season will be the last dance for Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams moved off several high-profile players during the offeason, including Pro Bowlers in that of Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Allen Robinson and Leonard Floyd. This has Los Angeles as one of the least-talented teams in the NFC heading into training camp.
Short of head coach Sean McVay working his magic and Stafford turning back the clock, not much is expected of the Rams in 2023. As for the 35-year-old Stafford, he was not great during an injury-plagued 2022 campaign.
- Matthew Stafford stats (2022): 68% completion, 2,087 yards, 10 TD, 8 INT, 87.4 QB rating
This represented Stafford’s worst statistical season since he was a rookie with the Detroit Lions all the way back in 2009.
As for the Rams, they can get out from Stafford’s contract next offseason with a mere $18.5 million dead cap hit by designating him a post-June 1 cut. Said move would save $31 million against the 2024 NFL salary cap.