QB Matthew Stafford happy to be back with Rams after offseason uncertainty

IRVINE — As the Rams opened training camp, quarterback Matthew Stafford exited the locker room at UC Irvine with a spring in his step. He rushed up the steps in his red no-contact jersey, a grin on his lips as he headed toward the field.

Entering his 15th season, Stafford has reason to be happy. He suffered through an injury-plagued 2022 in which he battled through an elbow issue early in the season only to be shut down in November by a spinal cord contusion.

But as he started camp on Tuesday, he wasn’t feeling like his 35-year-old self.

“I feel a lot better physically. I feel really healthy compared to where I was at this point last year,” Stafford said. “So I was able to get the work in that I wanted to get in coming into this and that makes it a whole lot more fun for me and just excited to get out here.”

It’s something his teammates noticed on the first day as he slung tight spirals into tighter windows during 11-on-11 drills.

“I seen that at OTAs. Ain’t no surprise, he looks way better than he did last year, even though he was still getting the job done,” receiver Tutu Atwell said. “But just the ball’s coming out faster, he’s getting it on time and then the deep balls. It’s just Matt. It’s a great thing to see.”

Despite that sunny prognosis, it wasn’t always clear that Stafford would be back in a Rams uniform this season.

Reports surfaced in recent weeks of the Rams attempting to trade Stafford this offseason in an attempt to move the remaining $57 million of guaranteed money in his contract off their books.

Head coach Sean McVay refuted that on Tuesday, saying the Rams received interest from other teams, not the other way around.

“I don’t react to it at all, to be honest with you. I’m busy chasing around four kids,” Stafford said. “I hear that stuff. I’m in contact with [the Rams] all the time. I’m not sitting in on all those calls, but I get most of the details. I see it as flattering, I guess, that other teams would want to reach out and have me come play for them. I just know I’m happy where I am.”

McVay declined to comment on whether the Rams had conversations with Stafford or his representation about restructuring his contract ahead of the March 17 deadline when that additional $57 million became guaranteed. But Stafford acknowledged some talks about his contract between the two parties.

“I don’t know what the technical term of it is, but we had conversations on that kind of stuff and I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

McVay added, “There was a consistent and unanimous dialogue of when that March deadline came in in terms of him being due the bonus that he’s earned, we were all in unanimous agreement that we wanted him to be the quarterback. We’re excited as hell about Matthew Stafford. It’s been great to see him feeling good. I’m certainly really glad he’s our quarterback and that’s where we’re at.”

With Stafford still in royal blue and gold, the focus turns to keeping him feeling as good and healthy as he did on Tuesday.

Part of that will come with finding a consistent grouping along the offensive line, where competition is ongoing at left tackle and center. But McVay will also be responsible for putting Stafford and the line in a position to succeed in 2023, something that is clearly already on the head coach’s mind.

“What type of pass play are we activating when we’re trying to protect him?” McVay asked. “Are we doing a good enough job of trying to move the spot? Who are the five guys, or if we ask other guys to be a part of that protection, what does it look like? … Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but if we keep that guy upright, good things happen for us.”