Turf Show Times
Matthew Stafford to open training camp on sidelines. Should Rams have moved on this offseason?
There was a point this offseason where Matthew Stafford’s return to the Los Angeles Rams was anything but certain. The New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders were courting the quarterback and were reportedly willing to pay him top billing and send draft capital to the Rams.
Instead, Sean McVay took his signal caller behind closed doors and negotiated a deal that paid him less money than otherwise could have gained from the Giants or Raiders. Stafford emerged with a new two-year contract extension worth $84M. He has $40M of guarantees for 2025 with another due in 2026 if he’s on the roster at the start of the new league year.
But this new deal is already aging poorly for Los Angeles. The calendar hasn’t even flipped to August.
Stafford is managing back soreness and will start training camp on the sidelines. While McVay maintains that he has confidence in his quarterback, we’ve seen the coach paint himself into corners with such comments before.
2022 may seem like a long time ago, but Stafford entered camp with concerns surrounding his elbow. He didn’t look like himself to start the regular season, and he was soon shutdown for the year with head and back injuries.
There’s always risk when you tie yourself to a quarterback in his late 30’s. This situation requires nuance in order to understand LA’s exposure.
Yes, the Rams could release Stafford early next spring if they want to wipe their hands clean of his commitments. The unfortunate truth is that this guaranteed money likely limits their ability to find the quarterback a new home via trade, which was certainly on the table this past offseason. Who would trade for an older veteran with injury concerns after watching the likes of Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and Kirk Cousins flame out in recent years? You must strike while the iron is hot.
Is there a world where the Rams instead traded Stafford to either New York or Las Vegas and don’t end up with two first round picks in 2026 as they have now? Sure. It was also possible they acquired an early second round pick plus other mid-round selections for Stafford in addition to making their draft day trade with the Atlanta Falcons. In theory they could be sitting on a war chest of picks, which significantly lowers the difficulty of acquiring a new franchise quarterback next offseason.
We can only analyze what we know. The Rams must compete in order for 2025 to be a success, and this is coupled with their short-term signing of Davante Adams.
You can’t afford 2022-like outcomes when you push all your chips into the middle. It’s eerie to be on this path already.
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