There was speculation earlier this offseason that the Los Angeles Rams were keen on trading star quarterback Matthew Stafford, but that apparently was never the case.
A month after leading the Rams to a Super Bowl 56 championship last year, Stafford was awarded a four-year contract extension worth $160 million. Stafford endured a tough 2022 campaign that was marred by injuries, and he was shut down for the final stretch of the season with a spinal cord contusion.
Per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, head coach Sean McVay clarified that the Rams weren’t keen on trading Stafford. The 2017 NFL Coach of the Year even stated that it was a “unanimous” decision within the club to retain Stafford:
“There was a consistent and unanimous dialogue and understanding. When that March deadline came in terms of him being due the bonus that he’s deserved and that he’s earned, we were all in unanimous agreement that we wanted him to be the quarterback.”
I know I can certainly speak for all of us and say we’re excited as hell about Matthew Stafford. It’s been great to see him feeling good, and I’m certainly really glad he’s our quarterback, and that’s where we’re at.”
Earlier this offseason, former NFL executive Michael Lombardi stated that the Rams “would love to trade” the 2014 Pro Bowler. It was also reported by FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd that the Rams were frustrated with Stafford after he refused to restructure his contract.
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At any rate, the Rams are moving forward with Stafford as their starting quarterback for at least one more year, and understandably so. After all, when healthy, Stafford is a borderline top-10 quarterback.
In the nine games he appeared in last season, Stafford completed 68.0 percent of his pass attempts for 2,087 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interception. In his first year with the Rams, Stafford had 4,886 passing yards and 41 touchdowns.
