The NFL keeps making money with every TV deal they sign, and the quarterbacks are those who take the most advantage of that growth. Two of the most recent blockbuster trades had Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson as the signal-callers on the move, with both receiving new contracts.
Stafford was able to finally leave the shadows of a lackluster franchise like the Detroit Lions when the Los Angeles Rams took a big swing for him in 2021. A deal that included multiple first-round picks and Jared Goff sent the 2009 1st overall pick to LA.
Wilson had an even bigger cost for the Denver Broncos. They shipped two first-round picks and two second-round selections along with other players to the Seattle Seahawks for the QB last offseason, but the results were underwhelming to say the least.
How much did the Rams pay Stafford?
These types of contracts include huge amounts of bonuses of different kinds that trigger on specific dates. On Friday, huge paydays were due to several players in the NFL. Although none of them could top what the Super Bowl champion with Los Angeles got.
Stafford was due a payment of 30 million dollars from the Rams, established in the deal he signed after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in the big game. The concept is for a “deferred signing bonus payment as part of the extension he signed last offseason”, according to Field Yates of ESPN.
But some contracts can turn into mistakes quickly, which is what happened to the Broncos with Wilson based on his performance. Denver had to pay the quarterback 12 million dollars today following the huge deal they signed. Yates also reported the San Francisco 49ers having to give over 14M to WR Deebo Samuel, and the Indianapolis Colts being on the books for 19 million regarding G Quenton Nelson.