Matthew Stafford is officially the LA Rams quarterback for 2021

Time to win a ring

After 12 years of playing for a moribund franchise in Detroit that looked to be embarking in (yet another) rebuild this off-season, Stafford now comes to a team with Sean McVay as his head coach, and a well-stocked pantry of offensive wide receiver weapons in Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds and Van Jefferson.

So many have argued that the LA Rams need more. Let’s cut to the chase. Stafford has gotten this far with much less around him.  He will feast this year because he truly has quality weapons all over his new offense. The Rams have, at a minimum, three wide receivers and one tight end that could each crack that 1000 yard barrier.

He joins a team with a solid running back in Cam Akers and an offensive line built to give him time to throw, and throw deep when that’s required to pull out a win or lock down a victory. While the Rams offensive line will not win smash-mouth football week in and week out. But with Stafford, they won’t need to.

Not to mention, he now joins a Rams team with a stout number-one ranked defense that features two of the league’s premier defenders in the dominating All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald and lock-down All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Each game no longer hinges on low-percentage heaves, desperation slings to every corner of the because your team was always playing from behind the chains, and the scoreboard.

As soon as Stafford is the acknowledged quarterback of the LA Rams, the team can begin the arduous task of reshaping his contract to push additional dollars out of 2021 into other years. One way to do so, which may be a viable option, is to negotiate an extension for Stafford now. That will allow the Rams to spread cash over the length of the new contract and shrink his $20 million-impact this year. Keep that on your radar.

He has a complementary supporting staff in the Rams. He has an organization that is built to win now, and his own career is peaking right now to do exactly that. . And now he can be officially welcomed to the fold. He doesn’t have to do it all anymore. He doesn’t have to win games solely on the strength of his arm. But for the LA Rams, it will certainly be nice to know that they have a quarterback who can.