Matthew Stafford has 3rd-largest cap hit in NFL. Could a new contract change that?
May 28, 2024; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during OTAs at the team training facility at California Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams are seemingly at a standstill in their contract negotiations with the two sides failing to come to an agreement at this point in the offseason. Stafford wants more guaranteed money beyond the upcoming 2024 season, while the Rams are trying to find a way to update his contract in a way that doesn't handcuff them too much.
As it stands right now, Stafford's cap hit is set at $49.5 million for the 2024 campaign. If that seems like a large number, that's because it is, even compared to many of the higher-paid players in the NFL.
According to Spotrac, Stafford's $49.5 million cap number is the third-largest of any player in the league this year. Deshaun Watson has the largest at $63.8 million, followed by Dak Prescott at $55.5 million. After that, it's Stafford and Kyler Murray ($49.1 million). No other player has a cap number larger than $48 million in 2024 besides those four, and only five total have cap hits bigger than $38 million.
Overall, Stafford's contract isn't massive or terribly costly for the Rams. He's only tied for the 12th-highest annual salary ($40 million) of any quarterback, so there are 11 quarterbacks with bigger deals than his, including Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence and Murray.
It's probably part of the reason Stafford wants an updated contract, feeling like he's fallen behind other stars at the position. The good news for the Rams is that a new deal could help lower his cap hit in 2024 and make it more manageable.
The Rams tore up Aaron Donald's contract in 2022 and gave him a new three-year deal, which actually lowered his cap hit from $26.75 million to $24 million in the first year. They could do something similar with Stafford, which is one of the benefits of giving him a new contract.
Obviously, a tweaked deal will cost the Rams more in the long run, but it could save them some space in 2024 – if they want to go that route.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford has 3rd-largest cap hit in NFL. Could a new contract change that?