As the Rams reconvened in Woodland Hills on Monday to begin their offseason training regimen, quarterback Matthew Stafford felt a certain amount of relief that no contractual concerns were looming over him entering the spring.
“It’s great to have that done and kind of out of the way as we get this thing going,” Stafford said over Zoom on Monday. “I never really wanted to leave. So just happy to be back and happy the Rams want me back and we can move forward and hopefully have a great season.”
Stafford and the Rams agreed to restructure his contract in February, guaranteeing the quarterback more money while securing him as the Rams’ starter for a fifth season.
But as player and team sought to find common ground, the Rams permitted Stafford to meet with other teams and gauge his value to other franchises, including reportedly the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders.
While those talks ultimately did not amount to anything, Stafford said Monday that he took the possibility of playing for another franchise seriously.
“Any time those things come up, you’re obviously doing due diligence and looking around,” Stafford said. “I’m a fan of the NFL, I know a lot of these coaches, a lot of the players, a lot of the teams and kind of their situations. So you poke your head around and see what’s going on. Obviously wanting to be back with the Rams was my No. 1 priority and glad that worked out so I don’t have to worry too much about it.”
Still, the Rams and Stafford only agreed to a restructure for 2025, despite his contract currently running through 2026. The quarterback said he was comfortable with going year-to-year with the Rams and renegotiating again next offseason.
“I think the longer that I’m in the game, the longer that I’m playing football, I think there’s an understanding between myself and I think the organization as well on what we want that to look like and what we want that to be,” Stafford said. “So that’s been great communication-wise with those guys.”
So the attention starts to turn, as the Rams wrap up this weekend’s NFL draft, what the team’s offense will look like in 2025.
During his exit interview with reporters, head coach Sean McVay talked about wanting to make the offense more “versatile” next season to avoid steps back following injuries. Stafford said that he and McVay have preliminary discussions about what that will look like.
“I know that’s coming in the next couple of weeks, which is something that I’m excited about. And then you gotta see what that’s going to look like based on what happens this weekend,” Stafford said. “That’ll organically happen I think throughout the offseason and then continue into training camp, as it does every year. I think about the things that we’ve done in the past, either in the spring or in the summer in training camp, that were huge parts of what we ended up doing during the season and then other times you’re trying stuff out and it might not work the way you want it to work. So it’s always a process.”
One player who will factor into that is All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, brought in as a free agent this offseason after some recruiting from Stafford himself.
“He’s been an unbelievable talent and an unbelievable talent for a long time,” Stafford said. “He works both inside and outside, great at the line of scrimmage, at the top of routes, great hands, can finish plays down the field with scores as well. I’m excited to get to work with him.”
Havenstein to be limited at OTAs
Veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein said Monday that he had two shoulder cleanouts this offseason, though neither shoulder required any actual repairs.
Havenstein said that he’ll likely be limited at OTAs and minicamp as he builds strength back up in both shoulders, but he expects to be ready to go for training camp in July.
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