The Los Angeles Rams are expected to pick up the 2023 option bonus and 2024 salary for Matthew Stafford in March, giving the quarterback $62 million in guaranteed cash, ESPN reported Saturday.
The move would come by March 19, the day the guarantees kick in. Before the 2022 season, the Rams signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract extension through 2026.
Acquired by the Rams from the Detroit Lions before the 2021 season, Stafford led Los Angeles to its first-ever Super Bowl victory. But 2022 was another story.
Stafford, who will turn 35 next month, is coming off his 14th NFL season, which ended prematurely with a season-ending injury.
Stafford was diagnosed with a spinal cord contusion in addition to a concussion, but it isn’t expected to be a long-term problem. He missed the final seven games of the season for the Rams, who finished 5-12 amid injures to the team’s biggest stars — Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Stafford sustained a neck injury in Week 11 against the New Orleans Saints after clearing protocol from a previous concussion.
He passed for 2,087 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2022. He has thrown for 52,082 yards and 333 touchdowns in 191 games in his 14-year career with the Detroit Lions (2009-20) and Rams.
–Field Level Media
