Ram Digest

BREAKING: What Former QB Expects Rams to Do With Matthew Stafford

Super Bowl window means too much to lose him now, analyst says.
Zak Gilbert|
Oct 8, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Philadelphia Eagles with quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Oct 8, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (17) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Philadelphia Eagles with quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Rams

Dan Orlovsky just said what we’ve all been thinking since the Rams nearly upset the Eagles in a snowy playoff game last month. The Rams can’t afford to trade Matthew Stafford.

Orlovsky said Wednesday he thinks the Rams’ roster – with Stafford – is slightly better than Detroit’s, and the Rams’ talent gives them the NFC’s best shot at dethroning Philadelphia.

“That's why I don't think, if you're the Los Angeles Rams, you're letting him go,” Orlovsky said, noting he’s only speculating on Stafford’s future. “I just don't believe that you're going to sit there and, hearing what Darius Slay from the Eagles said this past week … there's no way that you're taking this young team moving forward into next year, knowing Stafford’s still playing at the level that he's playing at, and saying, ‘We're just going to get rid of him and we'll replace him with Jimmy Garoppolo or Aaron Rodgers or Sam Darnold.”

Slay, the Eagles’ All-Pro who began his career in Detroit, agreed with Orlovsky. The cornerback had a front-row seat in Philadelphia’s 28-22 win on Jan. 19. He was on the field as Stafford led the Rams on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive, then reached the Eagles’ 13-yard line with 1:19 remaining before an sack and incompletion allowed Philadelphia to escape.

“For some teams that say they were close to us, I’m just like, ‘Nah, not the 2024-25 Eagles, no.’ Wasn’t nobody close,” Slay said on the last week. “That’s why the scores look like the scores when we played teams.

“I think the closest team to us in this postseason was the Rams. I think the Rams had the best chance of beating us in the whole postseason, in my opinion. Because they was complete; they could get after the quarterback but they couldn’t stop the run as good. They had a great offense and was great at what they did.” 

That great offense, even with Sean McVay at the helm, certainly would face a steep challenge without the quarterback who led the Rams to a 10-7 finish and a 1-4 start. The Rams are about to lose Cooper Kupp, and Orlovsky said they can’t afford to also lose Stafford.

“You'll be a lesser team,” Orlovsky said. “To believe that you're that close to being a real Super Bowl contender and then going, ‘You know what? We don't want to get to the number that the quarterback has earned and deserved. I just don't believe that's going to happen.

“I think Matthew Stafford will remain.”

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Zak Gilbert
ZAK GILBERT

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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