Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams are still sorting out their quarterback room, even with Matthew Stafford returning for an 18th season, and four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins looms as a fitting addition to the operation.
Moreover, the Rams are open to Cousins joining them.
McVay spoke with reporters at the annual meeting in Phoenix and dished on the possible pivot at QB2 to the former Atlanta Falcons starter.
Rams HC Sean McVay Reveals Interest in Kirk Cousins
GettyKirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons looks on before a game against the New York Giants.
Cousins and McVay have a history that dates back to their days together in Washington, while the QB also played for former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell with the Minnesota Vikings. Fate could reunite the former QB-OC combination in LA.
“I think Jimmy [Garoppolo]’s working through his process right now. We would love to be able to have him. There’s some other guys that are out there. But we do need to be able to add another guy into that room, and that’s something that we’re looking at. And, obviously, people make some of the connections with Kirk,” McVay said during an interview with “Pro Football Talk” hosts Mike Florio and Chris Simms on March 30.
And if it doesn’t workout with Jimmy, that’s definitely something that–I have tremendous respect [for Cousins]. Kirk is as influential as anybody in helping me get to LA in the first place. And so, I know he’s got some other options and some other suitors, but Jimmy and Kirk are guys that I would love to be able to have back.”
As it stands, 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett IV is the only other QB the Rams have under contract for 2026. He has yet to take a snap during a regular-season contest, making him an unreliable QB2 at this point in his career.
That is the kind of risk teams like the Rams, who are hoping to vie for Super Bowl contention, cannot afford to take.
It makes sense that they are seeking more experienced options and keeping theirs open.
Kirk Cousins Could Be Jimmy Garoppolo Replacement
GettyJimmy Garoppolo #11 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on before the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Carolina Panthers.
This is not the first time that Cousins has been brought up in connection with the Rams. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer also suggested such a move.
“The second path [behind the top option of pushing for a starting job] would be to join a playoff team as a backup,” Breer wrote on March 16. “That could be the Rams, if Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t re-sign, given Cousins’s background with Sean McVay.”
Cousins is more than three years older than Garoppolo, whom McVay has also lauded.
Garoppolo was linked to the Arizona Cardinals, who hired another ex-Rams OC, Mike LaFleur, as head coach this offseason. Nothing came to fruition, though. McVay is still open to his return.
“I love Jimmy. I would absolutely want him back,” McVay told reporters on March 3. “Jimmy’s a really good player. And so, we would love him back. I’m sure he’ll have multiple opportunities. And then, we’ll just kind of see where we’re at. But he’s been tremendous for the last couple years. We’ve loved everything he’s about.
“We would love him back, but I’m also not naive to the fact that he’ll probably have a lot of opportunities. And if those are things that he wants to pursue that give him a chance to play, I would understand that.”
Rams Happy to Have Stafford Back
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during the NFC Wild Card Playoffs against the Carolina Panthers.
Irrespective of Cousins, McVay spoke earlier in the day and detailed how fortunate the Rams were to have Stafford returning.
“It was good. Everything starts with that position, and when you’ve got a guy like him that instills belief in everybody around him, the way he goes about it, he epitomizes everything we want to be about,” McVay told NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, per NFL.com’s Nick Shook on March 30.
“He’s a special player, but even more a special person. It meant a lot. We’re so connected, I think there was a good feel, good vibe that that was the direction you were going in, but you never want to be presumptive. He’s earned the right to be able to do it on his terms, and I think he still loves playing. He’s obviously playing at an incredible clip, so that was big.”
The Rams will need a QB of the future at some point.
However, McVay and the Rams are all-in on this season. Stafford is set to lead the way and, potentially, Cousins behind him on the Rams’ depth chart.
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