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The Los Angeles Rams came to regret their extension for Jared Goff, but doing the same for the newly-acquired Matt Stafford may have much more desirable consequences. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue tweeted on Sunday that the Rams “could very well look into the possibility of an extension for Stafford in the immediate” as a way to save salary cap space in the next two years.
My understanding is that the Rams could very well look into the possibility of an extension for Stafford in the immediate, because adding an extra year to his current two-year, $43 million will make the contract a little more team-friendly in the short term as they carry weight.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 31, 2021
The Rams carry over $22 million in dead money next season because of trading Goff, while Stafford carries a $9.5 million base salary with a $10 million roster bonus due in each of the next two years. Stafford has a $12.5 million base salary in 2022 and is set to become a 35-year-old free agent in 2023.
We don’t know yet how much cap space the Rams will have next season because the salary cap has not been set yet. But Los Angeles has more commitments than most teams, so any cap relief will come in handy as it pertains to retaining players and signing free agents.
Among the Rams most important free agents: John Johnson, Leonard Floyd, Austin Blythe, Josh Reynolds, and Troy Hill.