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They say life comes at you fast in the NFL, but still, sometimes this league can still surprise you. Only a year and some change removed from winning a Super Bowl for the Los Angeles Rams, former Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford is said to again be available via trade.
For several years prior to winning their aforementioned championship, the Rams more or less burned the boats, trading away future assets to add players like Stafford, and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Like Stafford, Ramsey is also believed to be available via trade, and there have even been whispers about former defensive player of the year Aaron Donald being shopped on the open market. All of these bits of news certainly point toward the Rams hitting the reset on their franchise.
After rumors surfaced yesterday, Rams general manager Les Snead spoke to the media, stating that Stafford was not on the trade block, and in fact, was one of the pillars of their remodel.
“We’re going to definitely rely on Matthew, he’s definitely one of our pillars.” - Les Snead addressing Rams QB situation today with us. “He’s definitely someone we’re going to rely on … as we remodel this.” Says he says remodel bc they aren’t “bulldozing house down.”
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) March 9, 2023
Still, it’s lying season, so it’s hard to know what is actually happening behind closed doors in LA.
A quarterback getting traded two times in only a matter of years would be unique, especially after winning a championship in February of 2022. But that is exactly the potential situation Stafford could be facing. Stafford, who will be 35 when the 2023 NFL season kicks off, likely doesn’t want to spend the last few years of his career on a team in rebuild mode, and the Rams may not want to allocate a ton of their salary cap resources towards an expensive veteran quarterback when the rest of their roster isn’t ready to compete.
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Would you be surprised if Matthew Stafford is traded?
My answer: I really won’t be. Ten years ago, sure, this all would seem really unlikely. But with the way the NFL is now, a situation like the one Stafford and the Rams are currently in is much more feasible.
Stafford’s massive cap number may make a trade difficult—especially because it would have to happen quickly with bonuses due soon—but with as many quarterback-needy teams as there are these days, and with the Rams needing to recoup assets like draft picks—it certainly could still happen.
What about you? Will you be surprised if the Rams decide to trade Stafford? Let us know in the comments.
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