NFL experts stun reeling Rams fans by suggesting Stafford could be traded

LA Rams fans are reeling from the fact that NFL rumors have ignited over the no-going-back decision by the team to trade veteran Cooper Kupp 'immediately.' While some Rams fans are still in denial, there is no disputing the fact as the news was made public by Cooper Kupp himself on social media.

A similar component of Rams fans denied the retirement news of former All-Pro DT Aaron Donald. We all deal with loss in different ways. And the retirement, trade, or loss of a fan-favorite player triggers grieving in NFL fans, which is natural. There are five stages of dealing with grief:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

It's merely a natural coping mechanism to the likelihood that Rams fans may use to handle the probability of the team and Matthew Stafford's contractual impasse resulting in the Rams trading Stafford to a new team. That may seem unlikely to many fans right now, but let me be quite clear. There is almost no common ground between these two sides right now. And for good reason.

There is almost nothing to guide either the Rams or Matthew Stafford in the contract negotiations that must happen this offseason. From the team's perspective, it has invested heavily in the offensive side of the football. The Rams spent more on offense than any other team, to no avail. The Rams offensive line was ranked sixth-overall in sacks allowed. But the offense was ranked 15th-overall in yards gained, and 20th-overall in points scored. If you remove points scored by the very opportunistic defense last season, the picture becomes even gloomier.

The results of the 2024 season have compelled Rams HC Sean McVay to regroup this offseason and vow to consider importing some of the strategies used by Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen in his achieving a Top-Five NFL scoring offense in 2024. Keep in mind that Coen did so with the former Rams backup quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Perhaps it's the Buccaneers sensational success with Mayfield that has forced the Rams football organization to think outside the box. In the challenge to relive the glory days of their Super Bowl LVI victory by clinging to the champions of the past, have the Rams denied themselves optimal opportunities to claim new Super Bowl opportunities by allowing championship caliber players to slip through their fingers?

Boiling it all down to its essential question: Did the team let Baker Mayfield get away too easily?

Stafford proved his value by shining like a prime-time version of himself in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. But the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs placed the fate of four NFL quarterbacks in the balance. The Rams would end up seven points shy and 14 yards short of competing in the NFC Championship Game. Many believe the Rams would appear in Super Bowl LIX if the team had managed to pull off a touchdown in their final Red Zone appearance.