The Los Angeles Rams will have a tough decision to make about the future of their franchise quarterback this offseason. After not reaching an extension with Matthew Stafford before last season, the Rams must decide what to do next after surprisingly reaching the postseason this past year.
Rams’ GM makes it clear that Matthew Stafford’s future is still undecided
Rams general manager Les Snead gave no clear indication about Stafford’s future at his end-of-season press conference, noting that anything is on the table at this time — including his quarterback’s potential retirement.
“It’ll take someone calling or us reaching out if we want to do that,” Snead said via Pro Football Talk. “Those are the things that’ll be determined down the road here.”
The 36-year-old is coming off a solid season in which he helped lead the Rams to the playoffs after starting the season 1-4. He threw for 3,792 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Despite his efficient performance, Stafford’s career is getting closer to the endpoint, which has sparked questions about his future, whether he will retire, or whether the Rams might look to trade him and begin their next era at quarterback sooner rather than later.
The Rams should not trade Stafford this offseason
However, because he is at the end of his career, Los Angeles should not trade Stafford unless a mind-blowing offer that they simply cannot refuse would come their way. When they traded for Stafford back in 2021, they were in desperate need of a quarterback who could get them to the next level, which came at the cost of Jared Goff who has found success with the Detroit Lions.
Stafford won the Rams a Super Bowl in his first season with the team, meaning that a trade that seemed risky at the time ended up paying off. However, this time around there are no quarterbacks available in the open market with the same or better talent level than Stafford, which would make it hard for them to get an upgrade at the position.
Furthermore, the Rams are still competing and are in good shape to do so. They have an electric wide receiver pairing with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nucua, and Stafford’s play proves that they can still win with him under center.
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Teams are unlikely to take on an older quarterback
Additionally, the Rams wouldn’t be able to get a great haul in return for an aging quarterback who could retire any year now. While he is still playing at a high level, teams in need of a quarterback are way more likely to go after a younger player in the draft or in free agency to fill their need as opposed to a quarterback who will be 37 years old next season.
Plus, Stafford could threaten retirement on the team inheriting him if the Rams were to consider trading him. If he does not want to move to a new city and compete for a new franchise, Stafford doesn’t have to. He could opt to retire instead, giving him the authority to dictate the final years of his playing career.
Rather than trading away their franchise quarterback, the Rams should focus on making key additions to help get them back into Super Bowl contention. Trading Stafford would signal a rebuild for a team that still has a chance in a relatively weak NFC.
