With Matthew Stafford, the Rams are devoted and happy, but should they be?
The Los Angeles Rams have had a sneak peek at what life might be like without Matthew Stafford during the last two years. Their situation hasn’t been ideal because they had to deal with backup quarterbacks John Wolford, Bryce Perkins, and Baker Mayfield the previous season. This year, when Brett Rypien started against the Green Bay Packers, it appeared even worse.
There’s no doubting that in terms of the quarterback position, the Rams are in for an interesting offseason. It’s obvious that Stafford offers them the best chance to defeat a rookie quarterback. Although they won’t be considered alongside players like Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, there are still quarterbacks that could be selected in the first two rounds. It’s unclear what the future holds for Los Angeles’ quarterback position.
Mike Sando of The Athletic recently examined the 32 teams’ quarterback positions going forward and divided them into eleven groups. Among these categories were:
- Committed And Wish We Could Renew Vows Daily
- Committed Without Reservation
- Committed and Content Let’s Do a Deal Soon
- Looks Like We Have Our Guy and He’s Cheap
- Celebrating Career Revivals, but Not Locked In
- Committed With Concerns
- It’s Complicated
- Evaluating: Long Runways
- Evaluating: Clock is Ticking
- Been Benched. Could Be Too Late
Sando classified Stafford as Committed and Content and continued,
“Because of his age, Stafford stands out from the other members of this group and his future is even more uncertain. Would the Rams sign Stafford’s contract with another team if they could find one? It’s a legitimate query, and one of the reasons Stafford doesn’t quite fit this description. However, the elbow problems that hindered him during the previous season have healed. The Rams could contend for a top-five draft selection in the absence of him. They might be in the middle of the pack in the NFC with him.”
I think Committed and Content gives a decent assessment of Stafford and the Rams. Therefore, there is undoubtedly a case to be made for Committed With Concerns. In Sando’s words, “Would the Rams find another team to take Stafford’s contract?”
It is already known that during the offseason, the Rams discussed trades with other teams in regards to Stafford. The Rams didn’t seem willing to trade Stafford, and those discussions were merely exploratory. We are unsure of the specifics of the offer or even if one was made, as we stated at the time of those reports. All that is known is that when teams called, the Rams picked up, their conversation was brief, and LA informed them that Stafford was unavailable.
This offseason, how much does that change? Stafford missed the Packers game three weeks ago due to an injury that kept him out of action for most of 2022. It’s clear that the Rams have the best chance of winning even with 85 percent of Stafford on the field if they plan to push again in 2024 and 2025.
Nevertheless, the Rams must at least keep an eye on the future with an aging quarterback and a lengthy injury history. It wouldn’t be shocking if the Rams selected a quarterback from the upcoming class, given their high level of potential, to at least backup Stafford for a season or two.
The Rams are committed and content to Stafford for now. Does that change over the next six months?