Quentin Lake, Rams Agree to Reported $42M Contract Extension Before NFL Playoffs

The Los Angeles Rams are extending safety Quentin Lake ahead of the NFL playoffs, the team announced Thursday.

The Rams and Lake have agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $42 million with $25.7 million in guarantees, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Lake has been playing this season under a $3.4 million cap hit. He was previously set to hit unrestricted free agency following the 2025 season.

The news comes after head coach Sean McVay told reporters earlier this week Lake would be activated from injured reserve on Thursday.

That will open a 21-day window during which the Rams can activate Lake to the active roster.

Lake hasn't played since Nov. 16, when he suffered a left elbow dislocation necessitating surgery in a Week 11 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

When asked about the impact of losing Lake back on Nov. 20, defensive coordinator Chris Shula told reporters it would likely take multiple players to replace Lake because of his flexibility as both a safety and nickel cornerback.

He will now rejoin his team with the hope of playing in the first round of the playoffs, although he will not play Sunday's regular season finale against the Arizona Cardinals, McVay said.

Lake has become a key part of the Rams' secondary since the team used a sixth-round draft pick to select him out of UCLA in 2022.

The 26-year-old had recorded 61 tackles, 10 passes defensed, a sack and an interception in his first 10 games of the season, while playing every Rams defensive snap prior to his injury.

He also played every defensive snap for the first 17 games of the 2024 season before McVay rested his starters in Week 18.

This marks the second major extension the Rams have offered to their defensive core this season after signing insider linebacker Nate Landman to a three-year contract extension in November.

The Rams will now hope to have Lake back to join Landman on the defense in time for the team's upcoming first-round matchup.