New and intriguing wrinkles emerge from LA Rams newly formed coaching staff

The LA Rams have finally announced their 2025 coaching staff. While the team did lose several key coaches, as well as personnel executives, to other teams, the Rams are in far better shape in terms of continuity of returning coaches than in recent history. Even as we all hmm and haw over the continuous streams of NFL rumors and updates, the situation of Matthew Stafford will play out as it will play out.

I'm not trying to perch you on the edge of your seat. I think the team has an imminent deadline of seeing some movement as shared by Colin Cowherd. That deadline could be no later than the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.

So why sully a conversation about the Matthew Stafford trade rumors in an article about the Rams newly formed coaching staff? Ah, patience, my enlighted readers.

Here is the official social media announcement naming the Rams 2025 coaching staff. While we will dive deeper into the entire group at a future point in time, there are at least four names that I would like to point out here:

The Rams have (re)hired former Assistant HC Jimmy Lake, this time in the role of Senior Defensive Assistant. If you recall, Lake accompanied former DC Raheem Morris to the Atlanta Falcons after the 2023 NFL season.

As per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue, the Rams will continue the popular relationship with Offensive Line consultant Mike Munchak:

The Rams may have gotten ahead of the curve by promoting offensive assistant Nate Scheelhaase to Pass Game Coordinator. Scheelhaase is one of the hottest young offensive coaches right now, and his name could easily be among the 2026 candidates for an offensive coordinator role:

Finally, there is the addition of Alex Van Pelt as senior offensive coordinator. But there is more than meets the eye to his hiring.

Rams hire former Aaron Rodgers QB coach

Alex Van Pelt has enjoyed a long-standing NFL coaching career. He began his coaching career in 2005 as a volunteer offensive quality control coach with the Buffalo Bills. He worked his way up the org chart before landing a quarterback coaching role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010. But he signed on with the Green Bay Packers in 2012 as the Packers Running Back Coach.

At that time, Aaron Rodgers was the Packers' starting quarterback. Van Pelt changed roles in 2024, and served as the Packers' QB Coach through 2017. He coached for the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and New England Patriots, most recently in the role of an offensive coordinator.

With all of the chatter around trade rumors of Matthew Stafford, it seems ominous that the team would boldly add the former QB coach to free agent veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In the least, it's a message being sent to Stafford. At the most, it's a clear sign of just how prepare the Rams are to move on from Stafford. But wait, there's more . . .

New York Giants hire Matthew Stafford's brother-in-law, Chad Hall as assistant QB coach

If the Rams brass is trying to send a message to veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, then the same can also be said about the New York Giants as well. Just two weeks ago, the Giants hired Matthew Stafford's brother-in-law Chad Hall as the team's assistant QB coach. While he reunites with GM Joe Schoen and HC Brian Daboll, he gives the Giants an obvious link to Stafford.

The Giants are one of the NFL teams that are believed to have earnest interest in trading for veteran QB Matthew Stafford. The Giants roster needs an accomplished quarterback, and new GM Joe Schoen needs an instant win to secure his legacy as the Giants general manager.

Is this a matter of connect the dots? Or is this simply a matter of two NFL teams hiring the best candidate for the job?

I don't think that anyone can deny that coaches and players form long-lasting relationships that carry over far beyond a football field. Right now, nobody can truly say how this offseason will play out. As such, NFL analysts ignore what teams and players are saying, and focus on what they are doing. Matthew Stafford was insulted by the Rams' willingness to shop him to set his fair market value.

If that didn't sit well, imagine his reaction to the Rams hiring Aaron Rodgers' former QB coach to join the coaching staff. You may not trust the comments being made public right now, but the message being made by the team's actions suggests that the two sides are drifting even further apart. And that is not what anyone wants.

As always, thanks for reading.

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