THOUSAND OAKS — As the Rams jogged out onto the field for their second day of OTAs, a red No. 9 jersey was among them.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has been present and has participated through the Rams’ first two days of OTAs this week, despite some concerns about the structure of his contract.
Stafford declined to speak to reporters through a Rams spokesperson Tuesday, and head coach Sean McVay was short when discussing the talks between the sides after practice.
“Out of respect for the situation, we’ll just keep it in-house,” McVay said. “What I am appreciative of is that he’s here leading the way and it’s been a good couple of days for him.”
Stafford has two seasons following 2024 remaining on his contract, which he signed following the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory in 2022. But the contract has no guaranteed money beyond the 2024 season, which, per an NFL Network report last month, led to discussions between Stafford’s representation and the Rams’ front office.
McVay confirmed those discussions when speaking with reporters following the second night of the NFL draft, and he and General Manager Les Snead expressed a desire to keep Stafford as the Rams’ quarterback.
Stafford, 36, is entering his fourth season with the Rams. He helped lead to the team to its first Super Bowl title in Los Angeles following the 2021 season, then struggled with a litany of injuries in 2022, missing eight games.
But the quarterback looked back to his usual form in 2023, earning the second Pro Bowl nod of his career. He completed 62.6% of his passes for 3,965 yards while throwing 24 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, including a 12-to-4 TD-to-INT ratio in his final seven games of the season to push the Rams to a playoff berth.
Kyren Williams sidelined
Running back Kyren Williams was working with the training staff at the start of practice Tuesday before joining his teammates on the sidelines in street clothes.
The third-year back injured his foot during offseason workouts, McVay said, so he will be kept off the field for the entirety of OTAs and the June minicamp. Williams is expected to be back in time for training camp in July.
“It’s probably good,” McVay joked. “That maniac works so hard sometimes it’s good to just be able to pull him back. … It’s nothing to worry about, he’ll be ready to go for training camp.”
Williams broke out in his second season, finishing third in the league with 1,144 rushing yards despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain. He suffered a broken hand in the Rams’ playoff loss to the Detroit Lions, which required surgery in January.
Jonah Jackson limited
The Rams’ big offseason acquisition, guard Jonah Jackson, was limited Tuesday as he continues to recover from situations that required attention after his playoff run with the Lions, McVay said.
Jackson participated in individual drills but was not on the field for 11-on-11. McVay said Jackson is expected to do 11-on-11 at some point during the offseason program, but the team is not rushing him into it.
“We’re just being smart with him,” McVay said. “He’s done a lot of stuff as it relates to just jog throughs, the mental stuff. Making good progress.”
New training camp site
McVay announced that the Rams will be holding training camp at Loyola Marymount University this summer instead of UC Irvine, the site since the Rams moved back to Los Angeles in 2016.
“Being at UC Irvine, they’ve done a great job,” McVay said. “There’s some specific parameters in terms of the allotment of time and then just the transitional deal that it was going to be a little bit easier at Loyola to accommodate some of the meetings and walking through at practice within the confines of the CBA.”
