Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is feeling much better now that his quarterback is back in the fold.
“That was always the end goal in mind,” McVay said. “Really excited about it, and [I’ve] been sleeping better these last couple of days.”
He expressed gratitude for the “collaboration and the communication” between Stafford, his wife Kelly, and his agent, Jimmy Sexton, and Rams general manager Les Snead, Team President Kevin Demoff, and Vice President of Football & Business Administration Tony Pastoors.
McVay said the team is taking it “a year at a time” with the 37-year-old quarterback.
“We’ve always had great dialogue, and I think it’s really kind of been a year-to-year thing,” he said. “He’s obviously under contract for two more years with us, but as long as he wants to play, I know we’re feeling really good about that. [Quarterback is] such an important, vital spot for us, and what his leadership has meant to our football team over the last four years is exactly what we wanted.”
McVay mostly confirmed that report.
“There was always an understanding that he wouldn’t play under the number that he was due this coming year ... so we always knew that there would be some form of an adjustment.”
He said that Stafford was positive about how the season ended, and the team wanted him to come back; however, the team wanted to give him a deal that would represent his value while also benefitting the team.
McVay said that part of the pitch he offered to Stafford was the history they have with each other.
“There’s four years of equity and a relationship that means a whole lot to me and a lot to him,” he said. “I think there’s a body of work, there’s experiences, there’s relationships that'll go on a lot further on past the time that he plays and past when I coach.
“But I think you want to allow him to be able to come to a decision with Kelly and his family that’s best for him, that he could get excited about.”
The Rams had previously restructured Stafford’s deal in 2024. Having gone through the process again this year and with another season on Stafford’s deal, McVay concluded that this drama was not yet over.
“Here’s the positive: last year took about seven months. This year, about three weeks. So maybe it'll be about two, three days next year if we have to do this,” he joked.
Stafford was traded to the Rams in 2021. He passed for 4,886 yards and tied a career-high with 41 touchdowns in his first season in L.A., leading the Rams to a win in Super Bowl LVI. Stafford has yet to play a full 17 games since then, though he has helped the Rams to playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024.
