Although the Los Angeles Rams shot down the rumor of trading away Matthew Stafford, a report indicates that they actually would have “welcomed” it.
Entering the 2023 league year, the free agency market for quarterbacks was far from enticing. It certainly hurt that the top options in Derek Carr, Geno Smith, and Daniel Jones all came off the board before the start of the free agency negotiating window. So, the best bet would be to either get in good position to draft a signal caller, or trade for one.
One name that was floated as potential trade bait was Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. But, general manager Les Snead shot down the rumor, saying that Stafford was going to be one of their “pillars” in the 2023 season.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, the Rams would have “welcomed the opportunity to trade Stafford” this offseason. Not only that, but Florio says that Stafford “could have been the Plan B” for the New York Jets if they weren’t able to get the commitment from Aaron Rodgers.
Rams reportedly would have ‘welcomed’ trading Matthew Stafford
“And, yes, the Rams would have (we’re told) welcomed the opportunity to trade Stafford,” writes Florio. “If Aaron Rodgers hadn’t decided to join the Jets, Stafford could have become the Plan B, if he would have been willing to go to New York.”
Stafford was fully guaranteed $57 million on his current deal this past Friday, which included his $31 million base salary for 2024, per Florio.
Rodgers said during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he intends to play for the Jets this upcoming season. Even with the announcement, the Jets and Green Bay Packers have to come to an agreement on a trade, and there is no timetable as to when that will be completed.
The Rams brought in Stafford to help the team win a Super Bowl title, and that is exactly what happened in his first year with the team. But, as we all, saw the Rams’ 2022 campaign was a disaster. The team as hammered with injuries, with Stafford being among them. The veteran quarterback played in just nine games, as he was placed in concussion protocol and dealt with a spinal cord contusion.
In those nine games, Stafford threw for 2,087 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 68.0-percent of his passes.
Stafford shut down any talk of retirement during an appearance on his wife, Kelly’s, podcast, saying that he intends to play next campaign.
The Rams are looking to bounce back from a forgetful 2022 season, and it seems that they will be going forward with Stafford as their QB1. Not to mention that the team also got the commitments of Aaron Donald and head coach Sean McVay to return in 2023.
