Don't look for Rams QB Matthew Stafford to hang up his cleats just yet

The LA Rams have a contractual relationship with veteran starting quarterback Matthew Stafford through the end of 2026. But not all is as it seems. Per the contract details for Stafford at Spotrac.com, the Rams have the option to sever their contractual relationship with Stafford at the end of 2025. While I cannot predict if the Rams will want to part ways with Stafford at the end of the 2025 NFL season, I can assure you that the Rams are not looking for a different starter for the 2024 NFL season.

Speculation? Perhaps. But the Rams have a financial incentive to keep Stafford around. And if you have any basic knowledge of just how competitive Rams QB Matthew Stafford can be, it's safe to say that he will play as long as an NFL team is willing to pay him to do so. Sometimes, you just know what you know.

The LA Rams, and particularly head coach Sean McVay, love what Matthew Stafford brings to the LA Rams offense.

Perhaps that is one of the distractions that has mitigated Stafford's impact in the Rams offense. With a quarterback who seems to be able to do it all, make any throw, and lead the Rams offense back for a comeback victory, it's easy to forget how to optimize the entire offense and simply sit back and let Stafford work his magic.

Rams love to throw, and Stafford can

The truth is that the Rams can no longer allow the tail to wag the dog. For Stafford to be most effective, the LA Rams must halt the wonderment and hands off approach to the offense, and strategically place Stafford in a position where his aggressiveness and throwing forte can make a huge positive impact on the outcome.

it's no secret that the LA Rams offense loves to pass the football, and it's that affinity to throw that becomes counter-productive at times as more and more defensive coordinators have learned to bait the Rams into throwing into the jaws of very adept pass defenses. We know from painful experience that the Rams will ignore historically weak run defenses if the Rams believe that they see opportunities or need to throw. And that willingness, combined with Stafford's aggressiveness, is oftentimes used against the Rams. Defenses have learned how to dictate to the Rams' offense. That does not serve this team well.

Yes, this is one more 'run the damned ball,' type of article. But it's not necessarily what you may think of with that theme. Let's delve into the topic a bit more and it should start to make sense.