The fact that Matthew Stafford is dissatisfied with his deal is one tiny issue that the Los Angeles Rams may have this offseason.

Stafford wants the team to change his contract so that there are more guaranteed dollars for the latter two years of the agreement (2025 and 2026), according to NFL.com. As things stand right now, Stafford is guaranteed $31 million for the 2024 season, but beyond that, he is not promised anything. The Rams may easily cut Stafford after the 2024 season given the terms of his deal, so it would seem that Stafford would need some reassurance that the team intends to stay with him.

Following the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday, questions regarding the situation were posed to Rams coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead, who largely sidestepped the subject. First, McVay was questioned about the veracity of the rumor that Stafford was dissatisfied with his contract.

Through statements from the team, McVay stated, “I’ve had good dialogue with Matthew.” “We’ll keep those things in house, but he’s been working with our guys and we’ll keep those things in house.”

When asked if they believed the team could “find a solution for the contract issue,” McVay and Snead essentially sidestepped the question.

“We’re definitely jacked to have Matthew as our QB,” Snead stated.

Stafford has the option to skip the spring OTAs if he is genuinely dissatisfied, and McVay was questioned about the idea.

“We’re going to approach things day by day. Let’s see,” McVay remarked. “We will therefore attempt to solve it. Nothing is more crucial than ensuring he understands how much we love him and want him to take the lead and feels valued. We want to work toward determining whether or not he can reciprocate my belief that he wants to be committed.”

In conclusion, they did not guarantee that the contract would be changed to Stafford’s satisfaction and appeared to be aware that if nothing is done, he may skip OTAs. Nevertheless, McVay did mention that Stafford has spent the last few weeks in the building collaborating with the staff.

Just one month after guiding Los Angeles to a Super Bowl victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, Stafford inked a four-year, $160 million contract extension with the organization in March 2022. The victory occurred just 13 months after Stafford, in a deal agreed upon in January 2021, was abruptly moved from Detroit to Los Angeles. Stafford has guided Los Angeles to the postseason twice in his three seasons with the Rams, including the team’s 2021 Super Bowl victory.

The reason the Rams would be reluctant to extend Stafford’s deal could be due to his previous history of injuries. Despite being an iron man in Detroit, he has struggled with injuries the last two seasons, missing eight games in 2022 alone.

Even though Stafford isn’t promised any money for the remaining two years of the contract, that might alter in the coming months even if the parties don’t agree to modify the agreement. According to a breakdown of the contract from PFT, Stafford will receive a basic salary of $27 million in 2025, of which $10 million will become completely guaranteed at some time in 2024.

On the third day of the league year in 2025, the 36-year-old will also receive an additional $5 million that becomes fully guaranteed. If nothing happens between now and then, he will have $15 million in guaranteed money coming his way in 2025. Stafford would receive $10 million as compensation if he were to start in 2024 and be cut after the season.

It’s not shocking to learn that Stafford wants some financial guarantees that he will be the quarterback of the future in Los Angeles, as the Rams have already demonstrated that they are willing to part ways with a quarterback if they feel it is time—they did just that when they traded for Jay Goff to acquire Stafford.