Sean McVay reveals where things truly stand with Matthew Stafford and the Rams' quarterback plans
It’s rare for an NFL franchise to be truly open about its plans and how it operates. But the Los Angeles Rams are an exception under head coach Sean McVay. This week, he went on the Fitz and Whit podcast and spoke thoroughly about what is going on in regards to the Matthew Stafford situation. […]
It’s rare for an NFL franchise to be truly open about its plans and how it operates. But the Los Angeles Rams are an exception under head coach Sean McVay. This week, he went on the Fitz and Whit podcast and spoke thoroughly about what is going on in regards to the Matthew Stafford situation.
McVay praised his veteran quarterback and stressed that Plan A is to keep him, but the team wanted itself and the player to explore every avenue to make a more well-informed decision.
“When we talk about the elephant in the room, these are the things that are really challenging, because there is no discrepancy in us wanting him to continue to lead the way and be our quarterback,” McVay explained. “The interesting and the challenging dilemma and dynamics within this are how do you continuously as a head coach look at the short-term and the long-term and be able to figure out what does that really look like. There is no dispute, and let's not get it twisted, in regards to anybody wanting him to be our quarterback.”
The Rams gave Stafford and his representation permission to seek a trade. It doesn’t necessarily mean the quarterback will be dealt, but the parties involved will evaluate his salary demands and a potential trade compensation for Los Angeles.
“There's layers to it. And as you try to put together the puzzle for your football team, you have to be able to say, how do we continuously build, how do we support him, how do we make sure that he is getting what is his worth relative to those things,” McVay pointed out. “At the end of the day, we had something in mind, he had something in mind, and nobody was right or wrong. Ultimately you're saying there's a ton of interest because this guy is an incredible player. We've had conversations where he could probably play however much longer he wants, but it's been on a year-to-year in terms of our dialogue.”
Stafford is 37. He's under contract for two more years, but slated to make $27 million in 2025 and $31 million in 2026, with only $4 million in guarantees. He reportedly is looking for a $50 million yearly salary. The value is not absurd, but the Rams have to consider his age and what the team will look like after he moves on.
“There is no right or wrong way to go about it, but I do think for us to be able to make the most educated decision in terms of the cash budget that we operate on, the draft comp that would get in return,” McVay added. “You just need to be able to have all parameters to at least explore it.”
As Sean McVay explained, these decisions aren't made in a vacuum. It’s relevant for the Rams to see what Stafford’s market is, both in terms of salary and value, and that will ultimately determine what the team and the player will agree to do.
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