Former Detroit Lions and current Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford revised his contract with the Rams in March, after a small period of time when both camps agreed to let Stafford look at opportunities outside of Los Angeles. Now, Over the Cap has reported the full details of his new deal with the Los Angeles Rams, and the contract includes $40 million fully guaranteed and gives Stafford a $17 million raise.
That’s actually a change, because when this deal was first done, Over the Cap reported that Los Angeles would save $8.7 million in cap space in 2025 by lowering Stafford’s charge from $49.67 million to $40.97 million. But, that doesn’t seem to be what happened. With Over the Cap’s latest contract breakdown, Stafford’s 2025 cap hit is listed as $47.47 million, which is a $2.2 million savings.
Stafford’s contract isn’t long-term, and many NFL experts and analysts think Los Angeles will look to replace him in 2026, when the Rams have two first-round picks.
Former Detroit Lions Quarterback Matthew Stafford’s Possible Successor in Los Angeles
It’s crazy to already think about the 2026 draft, but why not, right? In that spirit, ESPN’s Jordan Reid says that he thinks the best player to replace Stafford in 2026 is LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. In a May 1 feature, Reid stated that the Rams could even trade up to get Nussmeier.
Nussmeier is considered to be one of the best quarterback prospects in 2026, along with the obvious picks of Texas’ Arch Manning and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers. Of course, the 2026 season hasn’t even started yet, so this could change a lot as the college season progresses. But, if the draft was today, this pick would make sense.
“Here’s Matthew Stafford’s heir apparent. Stafford will turn 38 before the 2026 season, so this is a great spot for the Rams to pick Nussmeier, whose 79.1 QBR ranked 11th in the FBS in 2024,” Reid stated. “Nussmeier’s arm is more flexible than powerful, and his anticipation skills result in some of the most exciting throws I’ve seen on tape. Interceptions are an issue — he threw multiple picks in four games last season — but he could be a first-round pick if he cleans those up.”
Another Sign Los Angeles Might Draft a Quarterback in 2026
Another sign that Los Angeles may be looking to draft a Stafford successor in 2026 is simply that they didn’t pick a quarterback in the 2025 draft. It wasn’t a strong quarterback class, so that was no big surprise, but it certainly supports the idea that the Rams could go all-out for a rookie quarterback in 2026.
Nate Tice and Charles McDonald of Yahoo Sports were impressed with the Rams’ draft picks, giving the team an “A” grade.
“Picking up the Falcons’ 2026 first-round pick for this year’s 26th overall pick makes this an A by itself,” Tice and McDonald stated in an April 28 feature. “Getting Terrance Ferguson in the second round was a nice way to kick off the draft with a quality starter who has the upside to be a weapon at tight end for Matthew Stafford this season.”
They added, “The Rams added some good depth on the edge of their defense with Josaiah Stewart, who should fit in cleanly with their other young edge rushers. Overall, it was a really different approach for the Rams in the draft this year that gives them a lot of firepower in terms of draft capital for the 2026 NFL Draft.”
