Sports
Rams avoid training camp turmoil by adjusting contract of quarterback Matthew Stafford
It came down to the final minutes.
The Rams kept pushing back coach Sean McVay’s first training camp news conference at Loyola Marymount on Tuesday by an hour. Then another. Then another.
McVay and Rams executives were locked in talks with quarterback Matthew Stafford and his agent about a contract adjustment that Stafford had sought since the end of last season.
Finally, the Rams and the 15-year veteran agreed to terms of an adjustment that is not an extension, McVay said, declining to provide details of the deal.
“I am relieved that it got done,” McVay said in an understatement.
Stafford, 36, was scheduled to earn $31 million this season and carry a salary-cap number of $49.5 million, according to Overthecap.com.
Stafford had two additional years remaining on the extension he signed in 2022 after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl title. But only $15 million of his $27 million salary in 2025 and none of $26 million in 2026 was guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
Had Stafford not reported to training camp by noon Tuesday, he would have incurred $50,000-a-day fines mandated by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
Was McVay prepared for a potential holdout?
“There was communication that existed,” McVay said, “and fortunately here’s where we are and it didn’t have to be able to get to that.”
Stafford, who was traded to the Rams in 2021 and then led them to the Super Bowl, has not spoken to reporters publicly since the Detroit Lions spoiled his homecoming by defeating the Rams in an NFC wild-card game at Detroit last January.
Since, Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence reset the quarterback market with huge extensions.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford chats with quarterback coach Dave Ragone during OTA practice at Cal Lutheran University.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
McVay said Tuesday that Stafford approached him “right around free-agency time,” and informed him that his representatives would be contacting the Rams.
During the NFL draft in April, NFL.com reported Stafford was seeking an adjustment that would give him more guaranteed money beyond this season. McVay acknowledged the report and said the Rams would work to come to a resolution.
“There’s nothing that’s more important than making sure that he feels appreciated and he knows how much we love him and want him to lead the way,” McVay had said, “and, you know, I think that the commitment that I think he wants to have can be reciprocated and we want to work toward figuring that out.”
Stafford attended voluntary offseason workouts and organized-team activities but was not made available to reporters. McVay said in June he expected Stafford to report for the start of training camp.
The Rams and Stafford’s camp engaged in conversations, some of which were “somewhat close” and others that were “really far off,” McVay said.
On Tuesday, the day before the Rams were set to begin on-field preparations for the Sept. 8 opener at Detroit, it finally got done. McVay, Stafford and team vice president Tony Pastoors were on site at Loyola Marymount, and general manager Les Snead, team president Kevin Demoff and Stafford’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, were on the phone, McVay said.
“There was a lot of great dialogue that existed,” McVay said, adding, “and ultimately it was all geared towards finding a solution that really suits our team but also accommodates some of the things that represent Matthew’s worth for us.”
The Rams are aiming to improve upon last season’s better-than-anticipated 10-7 finish and playoff appearance.
That almost certainly would not be possible without Stafford.
His value — and leverage — were seemingly heightened by the Rams’ backup quarterback situation.
Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games against the Lions and Arizona Cardinals for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. Stetson Bennett is essentially a rookie after sitting out last season to address what he has acknowledged were mental health issues.
Did Garoppolo’s and Bennett’s situations play a role in the Rams finally coming to an agreement with Stafford?
“You never know, do ya?,” McVay said.
Before McVay spoke to reporters and announced that a deal with Stafford had been reached, several players fielded questions about the then unresolved situation.
Steve Avila, a second-year pro moving from left guard to center, said he had to be ready regardless of who was taking snaps.
“Let’s just say, knock on wood, he is not able to play a week,” Avila said. “I have to be prepared for whoever’s back there, so I guess that’s how I’ll approach camp.”
Offensive tackle Rob Havenstein, a 10th-year pro, did not detail how it might affect preparation if Stafford’s situation remained unresolved.
“I’m not going to get into hypotheticals of anything — of what could be this, what could be that, whatever it comes down to,” said Havenstein, the longest-tenured Rams player. “We’re just getting settled in, so we’ll see how things go.”
Now, with Stafford’s deal done, McVay and the Rams can go forward.
“Grateful that we came to the solution that I think we all wanted,” McVay said, “and now we can focus on this team and him leading the way.”
Sports
Taylor Swift shows up to support Travis Kelce for possible final home game
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Taylor Swift showed up to Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night to watch fiancé Travis Kelce in what could be his final home game with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Swift, wearing a red leather jacket, was shown on the Amazon Prime Video broadcast hugging a friend.
The pop star has mostly been out of the NFL spotlight after the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles in February and the two announced their engagement.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift kiss after the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills in Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
But it was a special night for Kelce as he mulls his NFL future.
Amazon Prime Video aired an interview between him and Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez before the game began.
“I think I’m still searching for those answers. I think, obviously, the way this one ended with a sour taste in my mouth, I feel motivated, but I got to make the right decision for me,” he told Gonzalez. “I’ve got to hope that, you know, if I do want to come back, the Chiefs are willing to bring me back.
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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is introduced before a game against the Denver Broncos Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
“So it’s a two-way street on that, but, at the same time, man, I am, at this point in this year, I’m just trying to finish out and give Chiefs Kingdom everything I got and go out there and do it with some of that flair that you said I play with.”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked what it meant that it could be Kelce’s last game at home.
“I don’t know if it is or not. I haven’t talked to him,” Reid said. “I think his numbers and personality and the person, I think, speak for themselves. Phenomenal person (and) great for the community. He’s everything you want from a player representing an organization.”
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The Chiefs were taking on the Denver Broncos in the Week 17 matchup. Kansas City has already been eliminated from playoff contention.
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Sports
Lakers’ Austin Reaves will not return vs. Rockets because of calf soreness
Lakers guard Austin Reaves will not play in the second half against the Houston Rockets because of left calf soreness, the team announced Thursday.
Reaves missed three games with a left calf strain before coming back to play at Phoenix on Tuesday night. He scored 17 points off the bench in the Lakers’ loss to the Suns.
Against the Rockets at Crypto.com Arena, Reaves started and played 15 minutes in the first half, scoring 12 points on five-for-eight shooting.
With Reaves out, the Lakers struggled in the third quarter, giving up 29 points to trail 92-74 heading into the fourth. The Lakers are trying to avoid losing three consecutive games for the first time this season.
Reaves entered Thursday averaging 27.3 points per game, ranking him 11th in league scoring.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said earlier this week that Reaves wasn’t on a minutes restriction, but the team would monitor his workload “in real time.”
Sports
NFL’s Christmas games lose major star power as key quarterbacks sidelined with injuries
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On paper, Netflix had great divisional matchups on Christmas Day for Week 17 when the season began.
Of course, the NFL season never goes as planned, and the three matchups scheduled for the holiday are not what anyone had planned.
The reason? Star quarterbacks won’t be playing in each game.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott walks off the field after the team’s NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)
Christmas Day’s first kickoff will be an NFC East battle between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, with both teams already eliminated from playoff contention.
And while Dak Prescott and company are looking to finish the season strong, the Commanders shut down Jayden Daniels, their second-year quarterback who led them to the NFC Championship Game in his rookie season just a year ago, after reaggravating his elbow injury.
In fact, the Commanders won’t even see Marcus Mariota, Daniels’ backup who has had to start eight games this season, as he’s dealing with an injury as well. It will be veteran Josh Johnson making the start in Landover, Maryland, on Christmas Day for a 4-11 Commanders squad that hoped to at least make the playoffs after a fantastic finish in 2024.
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“When you do circle those matchups, that’s exactly what you’re thinking: This is going to be cool. How it’s all laid out — division games right here at the end between two games of Philadelphia with a Dallas game in between,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said.
“Playing these division games, they still mean a lot.”
Unfortunately for both squads, it will only be for bragging rights.
Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders looks on from the sidelines after leaving the game during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 7, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)
In the 4:30 p.m. ET slate, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings, a storied NFC North rivalry, the home team in Minneapolis will be without its own second-year signal caller — J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy suffered an injury in the win over the New York Giants last week, and it will be Max Brosmer having to start again for Kevin O’Connell’s group.
The Minnesota product’s first career start didn’t work out too well in Seattle, as the Seahawks had their way on defense against Brosmer. Perhaps a home crowd will do him and the Vikings’ offense better, but the Lions at least still have something to play for.
Detroit heads into this game following a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where a game-winning touchdown was called back after Amon-Ra St. Brown was penalized for offensive pass interference, negating Jared Goff flying into the end zone after a pitch-back from the star receiver.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes chews his mouth guard during warmups before an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)
The Lions need to win their remaining two games, while also needing the Green Bay Packers to lose their last two games to secure the final NFC wild card spot.
Finally, and perhaps the biggest disappointment for Netflix, is the Kansas City Chiefs not having Patrick Mahomes on the field this holiday season.
Mahomes suffered a torn ACL, which he quickly had surgery to repair, following a loss that knocked them out of playoff contention two weeks ago. The Chiefs were hoping that his backup, Gardner Minshew, could finish out the season, but he tore his ACL last week in a loss to the Tennessee Titans.
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That leaves USF alum Chris Oladokun, who filled in for Minshew last week, starting against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos — a 12-3 squad who already clinched their playoff berth. Denver will still be playing hard, as they’re competing for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC, which would ensure home games throughout the playoffs.
These games were supposed to be potential division/playoff clinching matchups, but the NFL and its fanbase will be hoping these games are not as lopsided as some believe they could turn out to be.
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