As promising as the future is for the Los Angeles Rams, there are some major questions still to be answered. First and foremost, they must figure out who their quarterback will be next season.
Matthew Stafford has two years left on his contract but he’ll be 37 in a few weeks and there isn’t much guaranteed money remaining on his deal in 2025 or 2026, which opens the door for the team and quarterback to go their separate ways. Stafford feels he still has good football left in him and Sean McVay loves having No. 9 under center, but there will need to be a resolution at some point.
McVay hopes that comes “sooner than later.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, McVay said he’d like to have clarity on Stafford’s future soon, saying that he doesn’t want another contract dispute to take place like it did last summer.
“We don’t want to have that go on again,” McVay said, via the Associated Press. “I don’t think that’s good for anybody. I think sooner than later, being able to get that clarity, understanding, open and honest communication. I think there’s a lot of love coming from our part. I think there’s a lot of appreciation coming from his part as well, and I think a lot sooner than later is an ideal scenario.”
Stafford is owed a $4 million roster bonus on the third day of the new league year, so one would expect something to be worked out before then. The Rams won’t want to pay that out and then trade Stafford, leaving them on the hook for that bonus.
Unlike last year when McVay said Stafford is “100%, absolutely” the Rams’ quarterback for 2024, he wasn’t nearly as committed this time around when asked about Stafford’s future.
“We’ll talk about all those things at the appropriate time,” he said. “I know he’s playing really good football. Obviously I love working with him. What he’s meant to our football team has been immeasurable in a positive way.”
The problem for the Rams is they don’t have a succession plan in place. Jimmy Garoppolo is a pending free agent and not a long-term option, Stetson Bennett has been nothing more than a No. 3 quarterback and Los Angeles doesn’t pick until No. 26 overall this year – far too low to grab one of the top passers in the class.
The best-case scenario for both parties seems to be Stafford returning for at least another season, but that will likely require a new contract and a commitment from the Rams to a 37-year-old quarterback.
