The Los Angeles Rams need to figure out where things stand with Matthew Stafford, because currently, the future is pretty murky.
Yes, Stafford is under contract for two more years, but the Rams need to decide where they are headed in the future. Not only that, but they also need to determine if they want Stafford around in 2025, especially at his $50 million cap hit.
Los Angeles was able to restructure Stafford’s deal in a complicated process last offseason, and it may have to do something similar with the 37-year-old in the coming months.
Or, the Rams could skip a contract negotiation altogether and just trade Stafford.
That is what The Athletic’s Robert Mays is suggesting, and he proposed a rather wild move on The Athletic Football Show: trading Stafford and then signing Sam Darnold.
“Can you trade Stafford for a [first-round draft pick] and then just sign Sam Darnold for the Stafford money, and is that actually a better place to be if you are the Los Angeles Rams for the next five years? Because you get the draft capital in addition to a much younger quarterback on what is probably going to be a similar deal,” Mays said.
Well, there are a couple of problems with this proposal.
First of all, it’s hard to imagine any team surrendering a first-round pick for Stafford at this juncture. He was decent in 2024, but he wasn’t great, and he doesn’t have much time left in the NFL. It wouldn’t really make sense for a team to mortgage its future for one or two years of Stafford.
Second, would it really be the best idea for the Rams to dedicate such a significant sum of money toward Darnold, who may have been a fluke this past season?
Yes, Darnold made the Pro Bowl with the Minnesota Vikings, but he did it with a loaded group of weapons that included Justin Jefferson. And we saw how he looked against Los Angeles in the playoffs.
Who is to say that Darnold will be able to replicate his success?
Trading Stafford may be something the Rams will consider, but they aren’t getting a first-rounder, and taking that money and using it on Stafford is probably not the best allocation of resources.