Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is back for another season. And he’s back with a new contract, too.
The reigning MVP has agreed to an extension, the team announced Thursday. The move adds one year to Stafford’s deal, a team source said, putting him under contract through 2027.
Stafford, 38, needed just one week after his 17th and best-ever season to announce he would return for another year. He made the announcement on the stage while accepting his first MVP award after a season in which he led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns.
At that point, he had just one season left on the two-year, $84 million deal he signed last offseason.
Stafford has always capitalized on moments to cash in on his value with new contracts. By early March, the Rams were in conversations with his representatives to find a new deal that reflects the value he brings and fits a player of his age.
Stafford’s return and new contract came to an earlier resolution this year than last, when he was coming off a 20-touchdown season and was planning to manage a degenerative back issue in training camp. Back then, Los Angeles allowed Stafford to test his market value with other teams before signing him to the new two-year contract.
That deal, with an average salary of $42 million, ranked 16th among quarterbacks last season. An MVP season brought an uptick in pay.
Now, Stafford will look to repeat as much of the success from 2025 as he can, which led the Rams to the No. 1 scoring offense and had them within a few yards of reaching the Super Bowl, when they lost 31-27 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
Last month, the Rams drafted Stafford’s successor with the 13th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting Alabama’s Ty Simpson. The team has been clear that Simpson will sit and develop behind Stafford, with coach Sean McVay saying Simpson will compete with Stetson Bennett for the backup job initially.
Simpson started only one season (15 games) for the Crimson Tide, in 2025. If Stafford starts every game for the Rams through 2027, Simpson would have a total of 15 starts over six seasons (2022 to 2027) between college and the NFL before he might take the reins in Los Angeles.