Adam Schefter hints Rams could be landing site for ultimate reclamation QB

Since winning Super Bowl LVI, the Los Angeles Rams have not been very settled at the quarterback position. Sure, there has never been a question over that time span that veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford was the starter. But from that Super Bowl winning season in which the team was content to bestow backup quarterback duties to John Wolford and Bryce Hopkins, the team has been subject to a transformation of sorts.

In 2022, the team had to find an immediate solution to filling in for injured QB Matthew Stafford. While Stafford healed from a bruised spinal cord, the team claimed former Carolina Panthers QB Baker Mayfield, flew him to Los Angeles, subjected him to a crash course of the Rams offense, and put him into the game to face the Las Vegas Raiders.

Mayfield won that game, despite arriving to the Rams with a tarnished reputation. After the season, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team which he is still starting at quarterback.

In 2023, the team had to find another veteran backup. The team dodged a bullet, as Matthew Stafford was once again injured. This time the injury was to his hand, but the post-game diagnosis was that it did not require surgery. Still, the team signed out-of-favor veteran FA quarterback Carson Wentz just in case. Wentz would lead the Rams backups to a shocking win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18.

Wentz signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.

In 2024, the team got ahead of the situation by signing out-of-favor veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo. While Stafford never missed a game due to injury, Garoppolo got the start in Week 18 with the Rams backups. While the team lost to the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams did get a pleasant surprise as Garoppolo had the best game by a Rams QB all season.

It was not until after the Rams season was over that we learned that Stafford suffered a rib injury in Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers. Stafford did not miss time, but the Rams offense scored 12, 19, and 13 points from Week 15 through 17. Had it not been for the heroics of the feisty defense, the Rams may have missed the postseason once again.

So what of 2025?

Per Adam Schefter, Rodgers would love to sign with the Rams

Over the past three seasons, the Rams have been compelled to place the football in the hands of a quarterback not named Matthew Stafford. With Baker Mayfield, the Rams were 2-3. Of course, he was given next to no prep time to learn the offense, and the team was riddled with injuries. With Carson Wentz, the team was 1-0. While the team was 0-1 for Jimmy Garoppolo, the offense had the purr of a high-performance engine once again.

What if . . . and I'm just spitballing here . . . the Rams offense handed the football to veteran QB Aaron Rodgers?

No, that's not my brainchild. It's a hypothetical situation that seems to be gathering steam for the LA Rams. In this instance, NFL Insider Adam Schefter openly discusses Aaron Rodgers's willingness to sign with the Rams if the team is unable to come to a new agreement with Matthew Stafford. Keep in mind that Stafford is currently under contract with the team through 2026. So it's not that the contract has expired. Stafford simply will not play for the team without enough guaranteed salary.

And that could force the two sides to agree to disagree and seek alternative options.

As far as Aaron Rodgers, he is nowhere near the All-Pro level quarterback who landed with the New York Jets. He has since suffered an Achilles Tendon injury, and he was unable to lead the Jets to the promised land. The New York City media loves to demolish would-be heroes that fail to deliver, and the Rodgers reputation is just the latest in a long line of NFL quarterbacks who have struggled to find success. Need another example? Look no further than quarterback Sam Darnold or Daniel Jones.

So is Aaron Rodgers willing to play for the Rams? Per Schefter, you betcha.

Don't misinterpret me. I would love for the Rams and Stafford to come to a quick and amicable resolution. But I just don't think it's that simple. Stafford needed time after the season ended even to confirm that he wanted to play football in 2025. After that decision was made, he made his opinion known loud and clear that he would only return if the money was guaranteed to his satisfaction.

And then you would be foolish not to ponder over how will Stafford perform in 2025 without his teammate and friend Cooper Kupp on the football field. Like many relationships, should it be this hard to justify Stafford playing for the Rams in 2025?

If the Rams do not give serious consideration over the long-term future of the quarterback position now, then when? The Rams have never been a team to compel a player to suit up unwillingly. But there seems to be a growing list of why the two sides will not reach an agreement to reunite in 2025. Aaron Rodgers willingness to do so at a cheaper price for the Rams is just the latest.

As always, thanks for reading.

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