The Los Angeles Rams are entering Year 5 with two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matthew Stafford at the helm, but it could be his last, and not necessarily because of the persistent threat of retirement.
ESPN’s Seth Walder predicted the Rams would indeed make another “long shot” run to the playoffs in 2025.
After that, though, they will part with the former Detroit Lions star and No. 1 overall pick.
Notably, Stafford has dealt with injuries throughout his career, which continued this offseason with back soreness that sidelined him for training camp. Stafford will practice with the Rams this week, per head coach Sean McVay. That did not happen on Monday, though, raising eyebrows.
Instead, Stafford went into the “Ammortal chamber” during the day’s session, further clouding just how close he is to returning for, if Walder is correct, his final season with the Rams.
The Rams ranked 13th in the future power rankings, drawing a “very good” B-grade and an 82.2 composite score.
“After a final run with Stafford in 2025, they will reset in 2026 and enter 2027 with a new, young quarterback — plus a boatload of cap space,” Walder wrote in the article published on August 11. “They’ll make trades for stars to spend that money and get back to the postseason faster than most imagined.”
For the Rams, Stafford may not be the same driving force of success that he once was.
Matthew Stafford Not Rams’ ‘Reason for Hope’
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 and Stetson Bennett IV #13 listen to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Rams have gotten by in camp with Jimmy Garoppolo manning the offense while Stafford has rehabbed on the side. And 2023 fourth-round draft pick Stetson Bennett IV showed well as the only QB to throw a pass in the preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
If the Rams want to defy expectations and reach the Super Bowl, they seemingly need Stafford.
However, ESPN’s Benjamin Solak said in the same piece that Stafford, whose two-year, $80 million contract expires after the 2026 season, does not move the needle.
Solak offered McVay, wide receiver Puka Nacua, and the team’s youth as the “reason for hope.”
Still, colleague and former player and NFL executive Louis Riddick named Stafford and the Rams’ quarterback situation as a whole as the team’s “reason for concern” entering the 2025 regular season
“What concerns me, once again, is the future of Stafford,” Riddick wrote in the article. “Jimmy Garoppolo is a capable backup who has had more than his share of durability issues throughout his career, making the QB situation one that will undoubtedly decide the 2025 season and beyond.”
Rams’ QB Plans Encounter Speed Bump
GettyArch Manning #16 of the Texas Longhorns warms up before the Goodyear Cotton Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Rams were expected to be among the teams vying for the opportunity to draft Texas quarterback Arch Manning, one of the early favorites to be the first quarterback selected in 2026 if not No. 1 overall.
“The Rams covet Manning’s prototypical size (6-foot-4, 219 pounds) and throwing acumen … but also believe his high level of athleticism sets him apart from every other college quarterback,” Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson wrote in July. “The comparison for Manning inside the franchise is that his ceiling after the 2025 college season could be a Josh Allen-type of prospect who is actually stronger physically and a faster athlete than Allen was when he entered the draft in 2018.”
But Manning’s grandfather, former NFL QB Archie Manning, does not anticipate his grandson entering the NFL draft early. Manning did not start the full season in 2025 and is entering his true sophomore season.
“Arch isn’t going to do that,” Archie Manning told Texas Monthly in comments published on August 6. “He’ll be at Texas.”
Stafford has hinted at returning for the 2026 season.
How the Rams choose to proceed will depend on a combination of factors, ranging from Stafford’s health and performance to how the upcoming season goes, and, potentially, even how much Bennett progresses in practice.
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