Are Rams In Danger Of Matthew Stafford Holding Out This Season?

Should LA be worried about this?

The Los Angeles Rams are entering the 2024 season looking to get themselves back to the postseason after a surprising appearance last year. If history is any indication, the Rams should be one of the better teams in the NFC once again.

However, with a team like the Rams that has their sights set on the Super Bowl, the last thing they need is distractions. Nobody on the team has done anything that can be seen as a distraction but there is always something that happens to each team that can alter a season.

For the Rams, it's the ongoing contractual negotiations of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic believes that the contract issues with Stafford are the biggest concern for the team heading into training camp.

"Rams coach Sean McVay confirmed in April that Stafford wanted more guarantees on his existing deal. Stafford signed a four-year, $160 million deal in the spring of 2022 — and $63 million was guaranteed, though none is after this season. Stafford could be using this situation to broadcast his intent to play beyond his current contract. He participated in all voluntary and mandatory workouts this spring, so this isn’t a “problem” just yet. But as training camp nears, both sides will need to move this conversation forward from what little progress was made this spring. Stafford has the option of holding out and incurring fines, and the Rams have no experienced backup in that case because Jimmy Garoppolo is suspended for Weeks 1 and 2. But would Stafford really miss the opener in Detroit?"

Stafford did attend OTA's this summer but there may come a point where he feels disrespected by the team. If this happens, he could hold out and that would become a big problem for Los Angeles.

While Stafford is an older quarterback, he showed last season that he could still perform at a high level. He made the Pro Bowl and will look to do more of the same this season. 

If the Rams want to avoid any potential issues, the best resolution would be to just pay him. After all, he did help them win the Super Bowl not too long ago but only time will tell how this all plays out.

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