Stafford's contract is guaranteed for '26 and '27 so if he retires after the '26 season it only affects how his cap hits are distributed and not how much his cap hits add up to.
His cap hit in '26 is $48.27M
If Stafford plays in '26 and '27 and then retires he would have a $31.6M cap hit in '27 and then, because they have kicked the can down the road so much, it looks like a $57M cap hit in '28 in the form of dead money.
If Stafford retires after the '26 season that all comes due in '27: $88.8M cap hit in the form of dead money.
Because all the money in Stafford's contract is guaranteed the cap hits that are coming is fixed: $137.07M. $48.27M of that is already accounted for in this year's cap. The only variable is whether the remaining $88.8M goes against the '27 cap or if it is distributed across '27 ($31.6M) and '28 ($57M).
That said ...
I think Stafford fully intends to play in '27, but if he doesn't I find it hard to imagine that he would soak the Rams for the $50M his contract calls for in '27 if he's not going to play that year. So let's say Stafford retires after the '26 season and renegotiates his deal to remove the $50M he's currently owed for the '27 season. Because of al the prorated bonuses Stafford has already been paid and will be paid in '26 the Rams would still be hit with a $38.8M cap hit in '27 in the form of dead money.
AlbaNY_Ram
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2026 04:21PM by AlbaNY_Ram.
