Matthew Stafford Left $20 Million On The Table By Re-Signing With Rams

Matthew Stafford will be the highest earning player in NFL history after the upcoming season. The money that he has made over his career with exceed $408 million after 2025, as he is set to surpass Aaron Rodgers for tops all-time in the category.

Matthew Stafford Passed On The Chance At $20 Million Extra

But based on a recent report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Stafford left roughly $40 million on the table by returning to the Los Angeles Rams this offseason.

Stafford has spent the last four seasons playing for the Rams. He won a Super Bowl in his first year with the team back in 2021, and Los Angeles has remained mostly competitive with him at the helm in the years since. He is one of the oldest quarterbacks in the league at age 36, but has continued to be effective and an overall winner even in the later stages of his career.

Ultimately Stafford prefers living in LA and playing under McVay, per @AlbertBreer pic.twitter.com/i9cniNuFx0

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) May 6, 2025

That is why the Rams were willing to dish out roughly $80 million over the next two years in order to keep him around. But he could have earned even more, as at least two quarterback-hungry teams were willing to go the extra mile this offseason.

Both the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants entered the 2025 offseason with major holes to fill at QB. Stafford was apparently one of the first choices for both teams, and he negotiated with both. And as Breer’s report states, they were both offering Stafford a deal worth closer to $100 million for two years, which would have resulted in the quarterback earning about $20 million more than he eventually agreed to.

Family & Familiarity Key For Stafford Late In His Career

That is how badly Matthew Stafford wanted to stay in Los Angeles and with the Rams. Instead of uprooting his family (which are reportedly very happy in Southern California) and having to learn a new system and playbook at an advancing age, he gets to remain in a familiar spot. And with more than $400 million already pocketed in career earnings, he decided that a move to Las Vegas or New York just wasn’t in the cards despite the profit boost.

Stafford played 16 games during the 2024 campaign, and led the Rams to a 10-6 record and a first place finish in the NFC West. He finished the year with 3,762 passing yards and threw 20 touchdowns vs 8 interceptions.