It came down to the final minutes.
The Rams kept pushing back coach Sean McVay’s first training camp news conference at Loyola Marymount on Tuesday by an hour. Then another. Then another.
McVay and Rams executives were locked in talks with quarterback Matthew Stafford and his agent about a contract adjustment that Stafford had sought since the end of last season.
Finally, the Rams and the 15-year veteran agreed to terms of an adjustment that is not an extension, McVay said, declining to provide details of the deal.
“I am relieved that it got done,” McVay said in an understatement.
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Stafford, 36, was scheduled to earn $31 million this season and carry a salary-cap number of $49.5 million, according to Overthecap.com.
Stafford had two additional years remaining on the extension he signed in 2022 after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title. But only $15 million of his $27 million salary in 2025 and none of $26 million in 2026 was guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
Had Stafford not reported to training camp by noon Tuesday, he would have incurred $50,000-a-day fines mandated by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
Was McVay prepared for a potential holdout?
“There was communication that existed,” McVay said, “and fortunately here’s where we are and it didn’t have to be able to get to that.”
Stafford, who was traded to the Rams in 2021 and then led them to the Super Bowl, has not spoken to reporters publicly since the Detroit Lions spoiled his homecoming by defeating the Rams in an NFC wild-card game at Detroit last January.
Since, Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence reset the quarterback market with huge extensions.
McVay said Tuesday that Stafford approached him “right around free-agency time,” and informed him that his representatives would be contacting the Rams.
During the NFL draft in April, NFL.com reported Stafford was seeking an adjustment that would give him more guaranteed money beyond this season. McVay acknowledged the report and said the Rams would work to come to a resolution.
“There’s nothing that’s more important than making sure that he feels appreciated and he knows how much we love him and want him to lead the way,” McVay had said, “and, you know, I think that the commitment that I think he wants to have can be reciprocated and we want to work toward figuring that out.”
Stafford attended voluntary offseason workouts and organized-team activities but was not made available to reporters. McVay said in June he expected Stafford to report for the start of training camp.
The Rams and Stafford’s camp engaged in conversations, some of which were “somewhat close” and others that were “really far off,” McVay said.
On Tuesday, the day before the Rams were set to begin on-field preparations for the Sept. 8 opener at Detroit, it finally got done. McVay, Stafford and team vice president Tony Pastoors were on site at Loyola Marymount, and general manager Les Snead, team president Kevin Demoff and Stafford’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, were on the phone, McVay said.
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“There was a lot of great dialogue that existed,” McVay said, adding, “and ultimately it was all geared towards finding a solution that really suits our team but also accommodates some of the things that represent Matthew’s worth for us.”
The Rams are aiming to improve upon last season’s better-than-anticipated 10-7 finish and playoff appearance.
That almost certainly would not be possible without Stafford.
His value — and leverage — were seemingly heightened by the Rams’ backup quarterback situation.
Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games against the Lions and Arizona Cardinals for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. Stetson Bennett is essentially a rookie after sitting out last season to address what he has acknowledged were mental health issues.
Did Garoppolo’s and Bennett’s situations play a role in the Rams finally coming to an agreement with Stafford?
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“You never know, do ya?,” McVay said.
Before McVay spoke to reporters and announced that a deal with Stafford had been reached, several players fielded questions about the then unresolved situation.
Steve Avila, a second-year pro moving from left guard to center, said he had to be ready regardless of who was taking snaps.
“Let’s just say, knock on wood, he is not able to play a week,” Avila said. “I have to be prepared for whoever’s back there, so I guess that’s how I’ll approach camp.”
Offensive tackle Rob Havenstein, a 10th-year pro, did not detail how it might affect preparation if Stafford’s situation remained unresolved.
“I’m not going to get into hypotheticals of anything — of what could be this, what could be that, whatever it comes down to,” said Havenstein, the longest-tenured Rams player. “We’re just getting settled in, so we’ll see how things go.”
Now, with Stafford’s deal done, McVay and the Rams can go forward.
“Grateful that we came to the solution that I think we all wanted,” McVay said, “and now we can focus on this team and him leading the way.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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