The Los Angeles Rams have stumbled out of the gate in the 2024 NFL season, suffering from a plethora of injuries that have severely hampered their offensive capabilities.
With a disappointing 1-4 record and sitting at the bottom of the NFC West, the Rams are now facing speculation about potential roster changes as they head into their Week 6 bye.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, quarterback Matthew Stafford’s name has emerged in trade discussions.
Graziano suggests that if the Rams fail to turn their season around, a trade involving Stafford could be on the table as the deadline approaches.
Fowler offered a clear perspective on the situation, stating, “Definitely,” when asked if Stafford could be dealt.
“The Rams have looked at Stafford’s future as a year-to-year proposition. His reworked contract last offseason reflects that, pushing his 2024 pay into the $40 million range but lessening his guarantees in 2025, essentially allowing both sides to decide whether they want to remain married at that point,” Fowler elaborated.
These contractual adjustments could make Stafford an attractive option for teams seeking a quarterback.
A potential trade could frame him as a one-year rental, with the possibility for a longer commitment depending on how the remainder of the season unfolds.
“This is a situation to watch closely, because neither player nor team seems to know how or when it will end,” Fowler continued. “Stafford is 36 and has dealt with injuries recently. Does he want to play after this season?”
The Rams’ offensive struggles have been exacerbated by injuries to key players, including Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, along with several offensive linemen.
While Fowler acknowledges uncertainty regarding which teams might pursue Stafford, he notes that the Las Vegas Raiders are a likely candidate due to their pressing need for a quarterback.
In the wake of the Rams’ recent loss to the Green Bay Packers, head coach Sean McVay hinted at potential roster changes during the upcoming bye week.
“We’ll evaluate everything,” McVay said. “That was the result of Josh Wallace playing some star today. That enabled Quentin Lake to be able to play safety almost exclusively with the exception of a couple things. We’ll observe everything.
“When you’re in these situations, we have to make sure we’re doing a good job of looking at the totality of everything, regardless of position, and make sure we’re doing a great job of trying to make sure we’re playing as good of football as we can with the remainder of the season.”
While no one will feel sorry for them, the fact of the matter is the Rams have been extremely unlucky this season. Injuries can derail any team, and right now they’re derailing Los Angeles.
At 1-4, McVay knows the upcoming stretch is absolutely vital to saving their season.
“You always want to be able to reflect [and] make sure that you’re doing an after-action review, really on a daily basis but a weekly basis,” he added. “You’re saying, ‘Okay, with this five-week inventory, what’s important for us to go where we want to go, to continuously improve, to focus on the process and progress, and then who are the guys that we’re getting back that hopefully will elevate our team overall?’
“There’ll be a lot of things that go into it. Here is the thing I feel good about is the guys have done a great job with the preparation this week and go into it with a quieted mind. Let’s compete to the best of our ability against an excellent opponent, and let’s see what the heck happens.”
Despite the mess in Los Angeles, two things remain perfectly clear: McVay is an elite coach, and Stafford is still an elite quarterback.
What do you think ends up happening with the future Hall of Famer?
Will the Rams be able to turn things around in time to remain alive in the playoff picture? … Or will they end up shipping Stafford out of town???