The fate of 4 quarterbacks hang in the balance of 1 Wild Card Round game

1 game. 4 careers. Many futures.

Los Angeles Rams, Stetson Bennett, Jimmy Garoppolo, Matthew Stafford
Los Angeles Rams, Stetson Bennett, Jimmy Garoppolo, Matthew Stafford | Tim Warner/GettyImages
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I: Rams QB Matthew Stafford

This has not been an ideal season for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. That is not to say that the Rams front office should be ready to put him out to pasture. Simply stated, his numbers have eroded this season to the point where the team needs to have a firm succession plan in place for the inevitable.

In 16 games in 2024, Stafford threw for fewer yards and fewer touchdowns than 2023. And he only played 15 games last season. His 235.1 yards per game clocks in as his 14th-best season out of 17 NFL seasons. His 20 touchdown passes comes in as the 13th-best of his 17 seasons, and that includes injury shortened seasons as well.

Thanfully, not all is gloom and doom for the LA Rams veteran quarterback in 2024. When the Rams needed the offense to step up against elite opponents, Stafford took it up a notch. He led the Rams offense to score 30 points against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8. And he led the team to put up 44 points against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14. As far as games that had the feel of the NFL Playoffs, those two games certainly qualify.

Stafford is the type of players who never wilts under the bright lights. In fact, the broader the stage and the brighter the lights, the better the performance from Matthew Stafford. And he is coming off a vital BYE week in Week 18, along with many offensive starters, to be rested and refreshed for the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs.

Will this be Stafford's last hurrah with the team?

Well, that is a huge question mark for the Rams right now. The team agreed to pull guaranteed money into 2024 to satisfy Stafford's contractual demands. But that simply delayed the inevitable. Right now, Stafford is under contract through 2026. But will the team renegotiate a contract to ensure more guaranteed salary with a soon-to-be 37 year old quarterback? That's a huge matter, and one that could easily be significantly impacted by how well Stafford performs in the 2025 NFL Playoffs.

The LA Rams continue to pursue NFL Playoff victories, and it's clear that Matthew Stafford gives the team the best chance of achieving those goals. But if circumstances change, well that opens up the discussion to an entirely new set of strategies for 2025.

As always, thanks for reading.

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