What are the LA Rams post-Matthew Stafford quarterback plans?

After 2024, the Rams QB room shrinks to just two quarterbacks

The LA Rams did not draft a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. There were two reasons for that. Due to his age at 36 years old, the team did not wish to send the wrong signals to their starting quarterback, a signal that would certainly have complicated any off-season contractual negotiations.

As it is, the Rams did not address the quarterback room in the draft. The team is counting on the combination of reserve QB Dresser Winn, second-year QB Stetson Bennett, and newly signed veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo. So why am I not considering Jimmy G as the heir apparent to Matthew Stafford as some believe him to be?

Well, ESPN's NFL Analyst Jeremy Fowler (who often has good insight) seems to take this all a step too far when he equates the Rams willingness to play the White Knight for one more (the third) tarnished veteran NFL quarterback. After rectifying the careers of veteran quarterbacks Baker Mayfield (2022) and Carson Wentz (2023), the Rams were a bit more proactive and added veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo for the 2024 NFL season.

While the team did add a former foe to the roster, there are two problems with the team viewing Garoppolo as the next successor to Stafford. You see, the first problem with that theory is that the Rams did not sign Jimmy G to a multi-year deal. That unto itself creates a huge disconnect in any plans to have him 'take over' after 2024.

You see, it he does not play well enough to warrant an extension, he remains affordable. But why would the team re-sign a guy who cannot pilot this offense as effectively as hoped? So the only hope is that he does get to play and exhibits tremendous control of this team and offensive weapons, right? Well, that will only serve to push up his asking price on an APY (average per year) cost basis.

More importantly, Garoppolo is not young either. In fact, he is about to turn 33 years old this season. So on a more pragmatic sense, just how many more seasons are the Rams getting if they no longer have QB Matthew Stafford as an option in 2025, and are thereby compelled to re-sign Jimmy Garoppolo? I don't think that is part of the team's current long-term strategy.