ESPN NFL Insiders share "Stafford likely to return," but add a new twist

The LA Rams may not be competing in Super Bowl LIX, but that does not mean the team cannot headline the national sports media this week. With just one game to go before the Philadelphia Eagles or Kansas City Chiefs hoist the Lombardi Trophy, NFL Insiders are already jockeying for position over the Rams' state and the future of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.

It's the offseason in just two days, which means that real NFL news will evaporate, and all that is left to discuss is speculation, innuendos, and NFL rumors. But after putting veteran WR Cooper Kupp on the trading block long before Super Bowl LIX is played, it's the Rams' own fault that they have become the hottest subject of the latest wave of NFL rumors.

Even typically plugged-in GMFB host Peter Schrager has been sucked into the NFL rumor mill, declaring that there is a chance that Stafford wears another uniform in 2025. So it's not just blind speculation, there are some whispers that the Rams and Stafford may not see eye-to-eye in contract negotiations.

Why there there this more to this story

There are always two sides to every story. Well, at least two sides. One of the greatest challenges about vetting NFL rumors involving the LA Rams is the insistence from the team that those matters stay in house. Even such benign matters as which rookie prospects meet with the team are seldom shared. Rather, they are announced by the players themselves, or by NFL Draft analysts who witness members of the Rams entourage talking with players directly.

The Rams love to keep matters in house for logical reasons. Emotions tend to flare up in the public forum. Right now, the team understands that finding the narrow common ground between paying for another season or two from a 37-year-old veteran QB while ensuring the financial security of his family is a tough task. That taske becomes even more difficult if it enters the public forum.

The crux of the Rams and Matthew Stafford is not an expired contract. The Rams have Stafford under contract through 2026. The matter is renegotiating that contract, because there is almost no guaranteed compensation remaining in either 2025 or 2026 to ensure Stafford gets paid. But as is the case with any and all renegotiations, the discussions can expand to include incentive clauses, increased compensation, void years, signing bonuses, and a bevy of other NFL contract terms.