Rams QB Matthew Stafford named to 'Bag' Hall of Fame
ESPN's Bill Barnwell created the "Bag" Hall of Fame to "reward the players who did the best job of maximizing their leverage and getting paid for their ability." Barnwell clarified that this isn't a list of overpaid players, either.
Stafford was one of eight players bestowed this honor, and his "calling card" is as "the last of the great previous-CBA quarterbacks." Barnwell explained that Stafford was among the highest-paid rookie quarterbacks before the 2011 CBA instituted the rookie wage scale for picks, which significantly reduced contracts for top prospects.
Taken with the first overall pick in 2009, Stafford's rookie deal was particularly eye-opening. When he agreed to terms on a six-year, $72 million deal with the Lions, the $41.7 million in guarantees was the largest figure for any player in league history, topping the $41 million defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth had been guaranteed by Washington earlier that offseason. You can understand why NFL owners didn't love the idea of guaranteeing an inexperienced unknown quantity like Stafford more than the experienced, proven veteran Haynesworth.
Barnwell went on to note how the Lions restructured Stafford's deal several times as they had to constantly pay their top-drafted rookies (like Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh) exorbitant pre-2011 deals.
Stafford signed four extensions through his career, from "a relatively player-friendly extension (three years, $53 million deal)" in 2013 to a five-year, $135 million contract in 2017 that made him the then-highest-paid player in league history to a four-year, $160 million extension in 2022 following a trade to the Rams that ended in a Super Bowl that same year.
However, Barnwell wrote that the 2025 offseason is "what got Stafford over the hump as a Bag Hall of Famer."
Before the 2024 season, the Rams moved most of his guarantees forward by one year. Having already earned more than $364 million in his career and $27 million in (mostly) unguaranteed money coming in the 2025 season, he decided the Rams needed to pay up for him return at age 37.
... Forget trying to play for a winner to eke out one more ring: He threatened leaving for one of the worst teams in the league, while downgrading his offensive coordinator and offensive line, if the Rams weren't willing to give him a raise. That is Hall of Fame dedication to the bottom line.
In the end, the Rams and Stafford found common ground. While Stafford didn't get a multiyear guarantee, he stuck around in Los Angeles for $40 million in 2025. Would he have really gone to play for the Giants? Some people would call that a bluff. Bag Hall of Famers would call that smart negotiating.
Call it what you want, but Stafford and the Rams both got what they wanted in the end. The Rams have their franchise quarterback for at least one to two more seasons, while Stafford got his pay raise. We'll see if it works out for either side.
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