After much speculation, Matthew Stafford is returning as quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, a move that might create some tension for his wife, Kelly Stafford.

Matthew, 37, signed a restructured contract with the Rams on Friday, February 28, following meetings with the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants about their quarterback positions. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the new deal provides Matthew with a “substantial raise” from the $27 million he was scheduled to earn next season.

Kelly celebrated the news on Instagram on Sunday, March 2, posting a picture of Matthew in Rams gear with his tongue out. “No place like home. @rams,” Kelly wrote as the caption.

The announcement came weeks after Kelly voiced her frustrations with the Rams organization on her “The Morning After” podcast, in reaction to reports that the team was looking to trade wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

“I honestly wasn’t planning on discussing this, but why not?” Kelly said on the February 6 episode. “My husband wants to win. He’s not trying to put a team in a bad situation. If you’re picking up what I’m putting down, you get it.”

Kelly continued, “Trading Cooper, I guess I’m confused. We were one play away from the NFC Championship. If we’d made it, we’d have won.”

“I have to stand up for him,” Kelly added. “I want the respect for him that he deserves. Yes, I love L.A., but I also love adventure.”

The Rams have yet to find a team willing to trade Kupp, 31, who was drafted by Los Angeles in 2017.

Once it became clear Kupp’s future with the Rams was uncertain, Kupp’s wife, Anna Marie, who has grown close to Kelly since Matthew was traded to the Rams in 2021, shared an emotional farewell to the city.

“Los Angeles,” Anna Marie wrote on Instagram on February 3. “Married to my love at 21, with our whole lives ahead of us, we could only dream of where this NFL journey would take us. New adventure ahead, full of excitement and anxiety.”

She added, “I’m so grateful for the last nine years here in this beautiful city we called home. I’m anxious yet excited to see where the next chapter leads. Thank you to everyone who made it so hard to say goodbye. I love you, L.A.”