Stafford's decision places more pressure on Rams organization in 5 key areas

When the LA Rams 2024 NFL season ended with a score of 28-22 on the Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard, the NFL had enjoyed one of the most thrilling and entertaining games in all of the postseason. The Philadelphia Eagles won and would continue to play football. The Los Angeles Rams lost and would return home to unpack their lockers and return home, waiting to play in 2025.

As long as the team remains relatively intact.

Of course, in the modern era of the NFL, even players under contract for multiple years cannot be overlooked in any offseason. The perfect scenario for the Rams roster right now is every player under contract to return, key starters with expired contracts to re-sign to team-friendly deals, and for the team to have enough free salary cap space to enhance the roster in free agency, while securing another top-tier rookie classes.

Of course, step one is to get starters back and happy. The top player to return to the team is veteran starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford needed time after the end of the season to contemplate his future. He has decided that he wants to return to the NFL in 2025. But even with that decision, it's no slam dunk that he will return just yet.

The Rams and Stafford reworked his contract last season to expedite his guaranteed money to fall in 2024. Now he is under a non-guaranteed contract, and he is almost certainly planning to hold out until those terms are changed:

But if you view the Stafford situation merely in terms of dollars and cents, I fear that you may be missing a lot of the story. Satisfying a wiley veteran quarterback like Matthew Stafford may start around a conversation about money. But to seal the deal, the team has to look beyond a contract and look into the team, the players, and the future.

So what does Stafford's return compel the team to do now? Let's break it down:

V - The team is unlikely to part ways with Cooper Kupp

The most obvious need for the Rams to do to satisfy veteran starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is to get their contract terms with veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp hammered out. While Kupp is not playing up to a $30 million/year contract price, he is not simply sitting on the bench and dispassionately cashing paychecks each week either.

Forget the NFL rumors about Kupp's release or imminent trade. It won't happen.

But the Rams are unlikely to overlook the fact that Kupp's contract is extremely overpriced. Of course, Cooper Kupp wants to optimize his compensation. But he is a level-headed player who knows that if overplays his contract, the team will take care of him. Now, it's his turn to give a little.

There is some middle ground, some 'right price,' that will provide for Kupp while not overpaying from the Rams' perspective. As soon as the team gets Stafford satisfied, the team needs to determine what that fair compensation amount is, and put it on paper. While the Rams offense no longer runs exclusively through Stafford to Kupp, their chapter is not over.

The Rams are very close to a Super Bowl caliber team. This offense will need both Kupp and Stafford to win in the playoffs.

IV - The Rams must invest more dramatically in wide receivers

After drafting Louisville wide receiver Tutu Atwell with the 57th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the team has been contented to carry the position with little draft investment. The team did sink a Round 5 pick into BYU wide receiver Puka Nacua in the 2023 NFL Draft. And the team did sink a Round 6 pick into Texas wide receiver Jordan Whittington in the 2024 NFL Draft.

But two draft picks in three seasons is pretty light in terms of investing draft capital.

Still, the team draft two wide receiver in 2017, one wide receiver in 2020, and three wide receivers in 2021. Only WR Cooper Kupp and Tutu Atwell remain on the Rams roster. Unfortunately, Atwell's contract expires at the end of the 2024 NFL season, and the team has shown little indication that he will be re-signed. So the team's entire draft investment under HC Sean McVay is summed up by Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Jordan Whittington.

I'm not knocking the team's ability to find diamonds on Day 3 of the draft. I'm merely pointing out that the team needs to consider the plight of losing three veteran wide receivers this offseason to expiring contracts, and adjust accordingly. From where I stand, that entails drafting at least two wide receivers this year, and selecting at least one no later than Round 4.

The Rams hit it out of the ballpark in 2023 when they found Puka Nacua in Round 5. The team does not yet know what they have in soon-to-be second year wide receiver Jordan Whittington. Whittington flashed tremendous upside when he was given the chance to play.

I think the Rams will turn to receivers in this draft, and that infusion of young passionate talent will help to reform a new-and-improved offense in 2025

III - The Rams need a QB succession plan, now

The LA Rams have two quarterbacks under contract for 2025. The starter is without a doubt Matthew Stafford. The only other quarterback on the Rams roster in third-year quarterback Steton Bennett. While I am higher on Bennett's upside than almost anyone else I know, the team needs to take a long hard look at their quarterback succession plan.

Until now, the team has managed to patchwork the backup quarterback position with successive out-of-favor veterans: Baker Mayfield, Carson Wentz, and Jimmy Garoppolo. While that satisfied the need to have a go-to guy if and when the team needed to rest Stafford, it's merely rented a throwing arm with one-year deals.

With Stafford publicly acknowledging that he needed time to decide whether or not he would return to the NFL, the team no longer has the luxury of putting off this incredibly important step. And I am not the only one who thinks that it's time for the Rams to up the backup quarterback position this offseason:

The team does not need top-tier quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. There are plenty of talented quarterbacks who, for one reason or another, are not ready for a plug-and-play scenario. The Rams can select a quarterback, sit him on the bench for a year to learn from Stafford and the team's coaching staff, and target the 2026 NFL season for his push for playing time.

While you may disagree, I expect Bennett to have grown into the team's backup quarterback role for 2025. If he is up to the challenge, then the team need only worry about getting a rookie quarterback on the roster for 2026 and as a just-in-case emergency option if Stafford is injured in 2025. The time is now. The 2025 NFL Draft has plenty of talented quarterbacks with high upside.

It's time to check that box.

II - Stafford needs help to win the game

The LA Rams offense is no longer built to sit back and let quarterback Matthew Stafford throw the team to another fourth quarter comeback. The mind may still be willing, but the flesh is weak. Since his outstanding debut with the Rams in 2021, Stafford has not broken the 4000 passing yards. Over that same time frame, Stafford has thrown for no more than 24 touchdowns.

Stafford and still throw the football. But the windows of separation need to be bigger. The offense needs to be more diverse. The running game must be more than a play-action distraction. And finally, the team has to be willing to involve far more people in this offense than they have entrusted in the past. HC Sean McVay hinted at that being a direction for the offense this offseason, and I love the thought of that.

It won't happen instantly. It won't happen in the first two or three games. But the team has to do a far better job of drafting offensive weapons, only to let them collect dust as they wait for their opportunity on the bench. The Rams drafted rookie RB Blake Corum and WR Jordan Whittington in the 2024 NFL Draft. They combined to contribute 570 total yards from scrimmage and zero touchdowns.

That is a pathetic return on investment.

From nearly 5000 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns from Stafford in 2021, the team managed to squeeze just under 3800 yards and 20 touchdowns out of him in 2024. So who were the Rams supposed to rely upon to make up the difference?

Injuries happen. Adversity is a constant. If the team plans to win in 2025, there has to be more strategy to scoring than hoping Stafford can pull off a miracle as time runs out. The defense stepped up in 2024, managing to put up plenty of points for a defense. Now the offense has to step up, and do so with a smaller share of the overall team's salary cap.

That won't be easy.

I - Like Donald, the team must see 2026 without Stafford

In 2023, the LA Rams began to guess that their time with All-Pro DT Aaron Donald was coming to an end. That served to motivate the team to focus on drafting talented players on the defensive front in the 2023 NFL Draft. It was that early beachhead of talented players that enabled the team to double down on the defensive front in the 2024 NFL Draft. Those two drafts combined to help the defense record 16 quarterback sacks in two playoff games.

Now the team must replicate that same process, but this time manage to choreograph a seamless transition from veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford to some new starting quarterback. And the only way to accomplish that transition is to envision their 2026 NFL season without Matthew Stafford.

Too alarmist? Hardly. The Rams front office must work at the disadvantage of making the right moves long before those moves are needed. Imagine the challenge of buying the perfect christmas gift as a secret santa long before you know who you are buying the gift for. Imagine buying textbooks for college classes long before you get the class syllabus. That is that the Rams front office faces each season.

Now, the team is facing a future 'someday,' without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. So how can the team be ready for that moment when it happens? Prepare for that moment now. To do that, the team must be willing to rewrite the offensive playbook, activate more players in the offensive rotation, and commit to balancing the offense. Not just between runs and passes, but among running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers as well.

No, I'm not shutting the door on Stafford playing for the Rams in 2026. I am simply willing to admit that the front office cannot see that far into the future. So start shaping the roster as though Stafford opts to retire in 2025. Better to be overprepared than to be caught unawares.

Update (February 4, 2025)

No, Stafford's intention to return is not a slam dunk guarantee that he will. Speculation? Not at all. Stafford's position is easy to reconcile with his past stances, but for those who need tangible proof, here it is:

The Rams and Matthew Stafford have plenty of time. But with Cooper Kupp on the trading block, I would not look for a quick resolution on this one.

As always thanks for reading.

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