Matthew Stafford Rams Future? 'No Reason' to Doubt QB in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Rams are lucky enough to have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Matthew Stafford, who guided the club to its first championship in over 20 years back in 2021.
That said, even the best of the best must face Father Time, and with Stafford turning 36 in February, it's fair to question how much he truly has left in the tank. Not only is Stafford getting up there in age, but he's also dealt with a variety of injuries over the past couple of seasons.
According to ESPN Rams reporter Sarah Bishop, though, there's "no reason" why Stafford won't be back under center in 2024.
Stafford drops back to pass during a game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 3, 2022.
"McVay and the front office are big fans of Stafford, and logistically, it wouldn't make sense to move on from him," Bishop wrote. "Stafford's 2024 salary is guaranteed, and a trade before June 1 would leave Los Angeles with $55.5 million in dead money. The Rams did a lot of work during the offseason to keep the 2024 cap clean, too. And while the Rams have their 2024 first-round pick -- at least for now -- they've already won six games, which doesn't put them in position to take one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Expect Stafford to be back in L.A."
Some Rams fans had wanted the team to go in a younger direction under center, but with L.A. performing better than expected, a drastic change doesn't seem as necessary, as Bishop notes. Keeping the salary cap in order is also a top priority for the Rams, considering they just got out of a major cap crunch.
In 11 games this season, Stafford has completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 2,768 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. While those aren't the most eye-popping numbers, especially compared to earlier in his career, but it's abundantly clear that the offense isn't the same without him. That was on full display in a 20-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 5, in which the Rams had just 187 total yards.
For now, it seems as if the oldest player on the Rams' roster will be back for another go around next year.
