Matthew Stafford Contract Status

[Merlin]

I think he's totally there at 26. I'd be shocked if he's drafted in the 1st. I don't think anyone else is drafted in the 1st other than Cam and Shedeur and I think it will be interesting to see where Shedeur goes.

If you like Dart, you take him in the 2nd, maybe at the top but jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze that's rich. In any other draft year, he's be a 3rd rounder.

Below is a good discussion of him and Milroe at Senior Bowl. At the 7 min mark.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD8gM23eh5M

I didn't expect Dart to kick ass in Senior Bowl week. He runs a weird offense that isn't ideal, and that was good exposure to NFL coaches for him. If you take him it's based on him having the basic stuff you want with a plan to redshirt him. Rules are different with QBs in the draft too. If you love a prospect who is graded round 3 you'd better take him earlier, seems like it's minus one round. The prospects who are second rounders can go late first which gives you a year of team control as a secondary benefit. Mid to late first round types go top ten. Supply and demand is real with them and teams can focus in on favorites where they will take them where they feel it's safe they'll be there, i.e. reach.

Ideal scenario would be the Rams see one of them make it to their pick with an eye for a redshirt. Like maybe they move back from 26 and take a TE or CB then nab Dart if he's there or Howard or whoever else McVay fell in bro love with on the whiteboard interview. One thing I do know is I don't care for Sanders. If Cam slides then I could see McVay jump up for him, I think he's the best balanced kid from this QB class, but I figure he'll go high.

Back to Dart what hurts him is that scheme. But again he is good under pressure and places the ball well. He's McVay's type IMO.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx1rz09swc8

 

[WestCoastRam]

I didn't expect Dart to kick ass in Senior Bowl week. He runs a weird offense that isn't ideal, and that was good exposure to NFL coaches for him. If you take him it's based on him having the basic stuff you want with a plan to redshirt him. Rules are different with QBs in the draft too. If you love a prospect who is graded round 3 you'd better take him earlier, seems like it's minus one round. The prospects who are second rounders can go late first which gives you a year of team control as a secondary benefit. Mid to late first round types go top ten. Supply and demand is real with them and teams can focus in on favorites where they will take them where they feel it's safe they'll be there, i.e. reach.

Ideal scenario would be the Rams see one of them make it to their pick with an eye for a redshirt. Like maybe they move back from 26 and take a TE or CB then nab Dart if he's there or Howard or whoever else McVay fell in bro love with on the whiteboard interview. One thing I do know is I don't care for Sanders. If Cam slides then I could see McVay jump up for him, I think he's the best balanced kid from this QB class, but I figure he'll go high.

Back to Dart what hurts him is that scheme. But again he is good under pressure and places the ball well. He's McVay's type IMO.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx1rz09swc8

I thought it was generally accepted by multiple pundits that he's bad under pressure.

 

[Rambitious1]

The proverbial 500 pound gorilla in the room (TBD) - Brock Purdy.
So, can Matthew accept less money than Purdy? Should he? Just throwing it out there!

I feel like I'm going to be bit in the ass for calling for Purdy to get 60M/year.


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This is driving me nuts. All the rumors. How could Matt want to leave LA? when will we know something?

He doesn’t

 

[TheTackle]

I thought it was generally accepted by multiple pundits that he's bad under pressure.

If we trade back for more picks particularly in the 80 to 130 range then I could live with throwing a dart at him with our top pick - with the view that he sits until at least year 3, to develop him through great coaching and Stafford’s example

Based on arm talent and athleticism, you could do worse, even if he is not necessarily the 3rd best QB in the draft in terms of “playing straight away”

 

[Tumak61]

Why does Daniel Jones remind me of Woody from Toy Story?

 

[Haden]

I'm hoping that MS settles for top-ten money that is still "somewhere in the 50's" of millions. Here's the list of top 15 QB's in terms of Average Annual Value per year as of 2024:

1. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: $60 million (4 years, $240 million)

2 (tie). Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: $55 million (5 years, $275 million)

2 (tie). Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: $55 million (5 years, $275 million)

2 (tie). Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers: $55 million (4 years, $220 million)

5. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins: $53.1 million (4 years, $212.4 million)

6. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: $53 million (4 years, $212 million)

7. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers: $52.5 million (5 years, $262.5 million)

8. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: $52 million (5 years, $260 million)

9. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: $51 million (5 years, $255 million)

10. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals: $46.1 million (5 years, $230.5 million)

11. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns: $46 million (5 years, $230 million)

12 (tie). Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: $45 million (10 years, $450 million)

12 (tie). Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons: $45 million (4 years, $180 million)

14. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: $43 million (6 years, $258 million)

15 (tie). Daniel Jones, New York Giants: $40 million (4 years, $160 million)

15 (tie). Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: $40 million (4 years, $160 million)


ME: How about both sides agree to a deal that averages 54M per year and call it a day? That way Stafford's ego can be satisfied.... he'd make more than Goff and also be in the top 5. And Rams can still sign some free agents.

Good stuff. Very interesting.

 

[RamFan503]

Right. I agree, @Haden didn't post this with any sort of malicious intent, it was just an oversight. In this case it just happened to be even "more fake than usual" insofar as it was completely made up out of thin air... from posters on a different board who were joking around with each other.

I know. It gets tiring. Cheers man.

 

[WestCoastRam]

If we trade back for more picks particularly in the 80 to 130 range then I could live with throwing a dart at him with our top pick - with the view that he sits until at least year 3, to develop him through great coaching and Stafford’s example

Based on arm talent and athleticism, you could do worse, even if he is not necessarily the 3rd best QB in the draft in terms of “playing straight away”

That's too rich for my blood for a guy I see as a career backup. I could be wrong though!

 

[RhodyRams]

The proverbial 500 pound gorilla in the room (TBD) - Brock Purdy.
So, can Matthew accept less money than Purdy? Should he? Just throwing it out there!

I feel like I'm going to be bit in the ass for calling for Purdy to get 60M/year.


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View attachment 69867

I think I mentioned this before..maybe about 50 pages ago....Purdy's new contract will be the bench mark of what Stafford is offered

 

[AZRams]

Yeah, and it's really starting to piss me off. The Rams have done good by Stafford, rescuing him from NFL purgatory (which it would have likely remained without all the draft capital they obtained), paired him with the best coach in the league, put him in a situation where he could get a ring (which he did), and now, in his career twilight when we have a young core of players we are going to have to pay, he wants a payday that would jeopardize the Rams ability to do so. If he moderated his demands or stuck with the contract he signed a couple of years ago, it would give the Rams the flexibility to really bolster this team to make a run and allow Stafford to cement his status as a HOFer.

People can also talk about contracts relative to other players at his position and whatnot, but I'll never understand the insistence on more money when you have made enough in your career that neither you, your kids, and probably your grandkids will ever have to work. I would think with the amount of wealth he's accumulated over his career that at this point, winning and being on a quality franchise would be his #1 priority. Between the scuttlebutt we're hearing and the obnoxious social media presence of his wife, doesn't look like that's the case.

I'll always be appreciative of Stafford and his incredible play during the Super Bowl run, but if he leaves now because he can't moderate his contract demands, it's going to leave a pretty bad taste in a lot of Rams fans mouths. Rightfully so.

Is it the agents whispering in their ears like the little devil on the cartoon shoulder, telling 'em how much better they are than the last guy that got the big dollars...?

Is that it?

Like you, I don't fucking get it...

 

[AZRams]

Why does Daniel Jones remind me of Woody from Toy Story?

Uptight?

Woody is seriously one uptight dude.

 

[Tano]

Is it the agents whispering in their ears like the little devil on the cartoon shoulder, telling 'em how much better they are than the last guy that got the big dollars...?

Is that it?

Like you, I don't fucking get it...

I still don't know how the fuck Dak Prescott got $60 million.

He is a decent QB who can't take the Cowboys the extra step.

And Lawrence should no way have gotten $55 M when he hasn't even taken the team to the playoffs.

These QB salaries are just so fucked up.

 

[Merlin]

I thought it was generally accepted by multiple pundits that he's bad under pressure.

If so you're listening to the wrong pundits. He's one of the better QBs under pressure.

The knock on him is the offense he runs is a quick one read system that is not good for NFL preparation. But there is also a micro trend where NFL teams have tried running simplified offenses in the NFL to take advantage of guys who are steeped in college option type offenses. And where some efforts failed in the past (Arizona for example), we just saw Washington do quite well with what is clearly a cooked up quick read system to get their young QB making plays quickly. Meaning someone may reach on him, and I figure that's going to happen.

Again for the Rams he would be a redshirt with starter upside. What round that's worth taking is up to the team and how much they prioritize the futures QB being on the depth chart.

 

[AZRams]

I still don't know how the fuck Dak Prescott got $60 million.

He is a decent QB who can't take the Cowboys the extra step.

And Lawrence should no way have gotten $55 M when he hasn't even taken the team to the playoffs.

These QB salaries are just so fucked up.

I get that Brady lived with a millionaire wife whose total earnings dwarfed his own so he could easily tell the team, "Yeah, I can take less to make us more competitive."

But even if he didn't, is a starting QB gonna need food stamps if he tells the team to shave $5M off his deal to help here or there...WTF with these guys?!

 

[WestCoastRam]

If so you're listening to the wrong pundits. He's one of the better QBs under pressure.

The knock on him is the offense he runs is a quick one read system that is not good for NFL preparation. But there is also a micro trend where NFL teams have tried running simplified offenses in the NFL to take advantage of guys who are steeped in college option type offenses. And where some efforts failed in the past (Arizona for example), we just saw Washington do quite well with what is clearly a cooked up quick read system to get their young QB making plays quickly. Meaning someone may reach on him, and I figure that's going to happen.

Again for the Rams he would be a redshirt with starter upside. What round that's worth taking is up to the team and how much they prioritize the futures QB being on the depth chart.

Below are just a handful of lines from the internet scouts. But hey, that's just internet guys. Maybe they're not better than us (though some of these guys I think are pretty decent). One could even say everyone tends to suffer under pressure! So Dart is no different than other QBs but I think that's kinda a cop out.

What I saw from the little I watched him was a guy who's eyes fell to the pass rush right away and made bad throws but was decent when a blitzer was coming at him and the pre-snap read had him throwing to a vacated window or he was able to take off. He did not look good under pressure.


- Mechanics and throwing efficiency declines with pressure bearing down.

- Base can get narrow under pressure, leading to some throws sailing high in crucial situations

- Concerns: Decision-making under pressure

- Lacks some pocket presence

- Mistakes increase up the middle with pressure, leads to poor throws/ducks

- Mechanics and throwing efficiency declines with pressure bearing down

- Against Georgia in 2024. Dart took some hits early and struggled to step into throws for much of the rest of the game. There was also a troubling tendency to duck his head a bit when pressure came through.

- Play under pressure
This can be an encompassing point, but we'll keep it focused to being under pressure on any given play. When clean, Dart eviscerates defenses with a low rate of potential turnovers. However, Dart shows a different side when there's a rusher coming toward him. He gets unnaturally reckless, seeing his turnover-worthy throws almost double and actually outpaces his big-time-throw rate. That's a massive red flag, even if he does well when blitzed. Four-man rushes who get through his blockers can cause chaos because Dart starts guessing when the coverage pattern isn't made clear by extra defenders coming.

 

[dieterbrock]

View: https://x.com/fanduel/status/1892268109005783314?s=46&t=WEmuN_hfFyUykYusVuf0Tw

 

[Merlin]

I still don't know how the fuck Dak Prescott got $60 million.

He is a decent QB who can't take the Cowboys the extra step.

And Lawrence should no way have gotten $55 M when he hasn't even taken the team to the playoffs.

These QB salaries are just so fucked up.

Paying top money to a median QB is one of the worst mistakes you can make in this modern era. Especially when you have a coach who is a top gameplanner, which McVay is. Because that median QB production can be achieved via other means, to include taking shots on young QBs on the regular until you find one you like. Doing that with mediocre ass castoff types is preferable to me by far to locking up some asshole for top money who doesn't deserve it.

Not to mention it can knock your reward system in your ecosystem out of alignment. There are locker room impacts I think with paying guys who do not deserve it, where the damage goes beyond the measurable and into the culture side of things.

 

[Merlin]

Below are just a handful of reports from the internet.

If they are delivering what you want to see, then congrats. Scratch him off your draft list with vengeance and have fun with that. I just completely disagree with this sentiment that he's poor under pressure when the dude routinely dealt with shit and produced good result. It is just a damn shame he's in that system. Though maybe not a shame because instead of going to some shit team at the top maybe he lands in a good situation instead.

 

[dieterbrock]

Paying top money to a median QB is one of the worst mistakes you can make in this modern era.

Just once I’d like to see a team let the mid Qb “test the market”
If the giants had done that with Daniel Jones I believe it would have set a new precedent. The idea that a starting qb gets the f-u money because it’s contract time is just wacked

 

[OldSchool]

The only thing worse than paying a mediocre qb is not having a capable starter. Unfortunately there aren't enough good ones for 32 teams .