Rams were one Matthew Stafford trade away from the wildest QB twist of 2025

The Los Angeles Rams are ready for another season with high expectations. Once again, it’ll be Matthew Stafford under center, now cleared from a back injury that kept him out for a huge portion of training camp. However, earlier this year, there was real uncertainty about whether he would even play for the Rams, as Stafford sought a new contract. There were even reports that teams like the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders were actively pushing for sign-and-trade deals.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. Stafford and the Rams ultimately agreed to terms on a revised contract. But if a trade had gone through, what exactly was the Rams’ backup plan?

FOX Sports insider Jay Glazer revealed that if Stafford had been traded, head coach Sean McVay was ready to bring in Aaron Rodgers.

"Early on in the offseason, it didn't look like Matthew Stafford and the Rams were going to be able to work a deal out. At that time, they started talking to teams, and I think the leader in the clubhouse was the Giants. If Stafford left, the plan for Sean McVay was to sign Aaron Rodgers to be the starting quarterback for the Rams," said Glazer. "So again, he's got Matthew Stafford to thank that he ends up doing a team-friendly deal."

Sean McVay was ready to sign Aaron Rodgers if Rams lost Matthew Stafford

The NFL landscape would’ve looked very different if this had happened — Rodgers on the Rams, Stafford on the Giants, or Raiders?

Stafford was always going to be a massive domino if moved. As Glazer noted, the Giants were reportedly the frontrunners to land him. Earlier this offseason, Rich Eisen even revealed that New York had matched both the trade compensation and contract that Stafford was looking for. In the end, he chose to stay put in L.A.

The Rodgers-to-Los Angeles connection made sense. He’s a California native with a home in Malibu, and the Rams had brought in his former Green Bay Packers and Jets teammate, Davante Adams. The possibility of Rodgers in Sean McVay’s system, throwing to Adams and Puka Nacua, with a backfield featuring Kyren Williams and Blake Corum? That would’ve been a wild sight.

Instead, Rodgers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, realistically the only viable option late in the offseason. He’ll now look to keep Mike Tomlin’s “never had a losing season” streak alive and help the Steelers make a deep playoff run for the first time since 2016.

In the end, despite all the offseason speculation, Stafford is still the Rams’ quarterback, and he’s already back to doing what he does best. In the team’s Week 1 win over the Houston Texans, Stafford went 21-of-29 for 245 yards, one touchdown, no turnovers, and a 109.1 passer rating. The Rams won 14-9, and their season is off and running.

As always, thanks for reading.

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