By committing himself to the Rams for at least one more season, Matthew Stafford pushed all his poker chips to the middle of the table.
The Rams need to be all in as well.
Stafford, the club’s 37-year-old quarterback, confirmed on Thursday that he’ll be back in 2026. He did so while simultaneously collecting the first MVP award in his illustrious 17-year NFL career.
The setting could not have been more appropriate. Not only was he telling the Rams he’s coming back for an eighteenth season, but he did so while being recognized as the best player in the league.
You couldn’t help but think that it was a friendly reminder to them — or at least a hint — that his recommitment should come with a price tag. Like, say, a pay raise reflective of the lofty place he holds on the NFL pecking order.
It’s one of the boxes the Rams must now check, knowing their star quarterback is back in the fold.
What is next for the Rams:
Re-do Stafford’s contract
When Stafford and the Rams re-did his contract last March, the two sides essentially agreed on two one-year deals for $42 million each season.
The next $42 million kicks in on March 16. It’s a big number to be sure, but it falls short of what top-tier quarterbacks are currently making. The Cowboys Dak Prescott tops that list at $60 million for 2026, with the Bills Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Jordan Love all making $55 million. In all, 15 quarterbacks will make more than Stafford next year.
The Rams can easily make it right by giving Stafford a pay raise. But they should do so on the contingency that he will commit through the 2027 season, buying them two more years of quarterback certainty and the necessary time to add his heir apparent.
Something along the lines of a three-year deal, with the third season voidable, for a guaranteed $110 million could get it done.
Stay away from quarterback in April’s Draft
If the Rams get a real commitment from Stafford for two more seasons, they can be more selective in how and when they find his eventual replacement.
The 2026 draft is essentially a one-quarterback party, with Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza the only real certainty among the signal callers.
That doesn’t mean another prospect won’t eventually push through, but odds are this won’t be considered a good draft at that position.
The Rams should resist the urge to use one of their first-round picks on a project quarterback as a result, and wait until next year, when a far deeper pool of prospects will be available, to address quarterback.
Draft USC receiver Makai Lemon
Yes, the Rams had the top-ranked offense in the NFL last year. But you can never have too many weapons, and with Davante Adams getting to the end of the line, the club needs to find a suitable partner for Puka Nacua.
If Adams is back next season, the explosive Lemon could get deliberately phased in and developed to set him up for big moments and a bright future.
He will be a day-one impact player, only in the perfect situation for his growth.
Help at cornerback
The Rams need to upgrade their cornerback room. It was a position that let them down in key moments last year, and that simply can’t be the case again in 2026.
The draft offers plenty of options, and Rams general manager Les Snead always does a good job finding value throughout the draft.
But the need is too important to wait on that tool, let alone the time it might take to develop the prospect.
Thankfully, the offseason could have some intriguing names for the Rams to consider, with the Buccaneers Jamel Dean, the Chiefs’ Jaylen Watson, and the Seahawks Tariq Woolen all slated to hit free agency.
And with a projected $46.7 million in salary cap space, the Rams have the necessary flexibility to add at least one starter at that position.
Extend Nacua
The price tag to keep one of the best wide receivers in the game is only going to grow if the Rams put it off another year. Nacua has one more year on his rookie deal, but he is extension eligible this offseason, and the club could use the opportunity to do a deal that works for Nacua and their salary cap.
By extending him this year, they can construct it in a way that minimizes the cap hit this year and get him under contract on this year’s price point, rather than next year’s.
A four-year deal with $92 million fully guaranteed could be the number that gets it done.
