ESPN analyst predicts Rams will trade for former first round QB in order to provide insurance for Matthew Stafford
Word around the campfire is Matthew Stafford will play for the Los Angeles Rams in 2025, but at this point, it's a year-to-year situation when it comes to his overall future in football.This will be Stafford's age-37 season, so it's obvious he won't play for much longer. In terms of right now, though, a 37-year-old […]
Word around the campfire is Matthew Stafford will play for the Los Angeles Rams in 2025, but at this point, it's a year-to-year situation when it comes to his overall future in football.
This will be Stafford's age-37 season, so it's obvious he won't play for much longer. In terms of right now, though, a 37-year-old QB is also more prone to injury for obvious reasons. Therefore, it's important that the Rams add some kind of insurance for the present and possibly even the future.
Enter Kenny Pickett?
ESPN analyst Ben Solak recently predicted the Rams would trade for the former first-rounder since Jimmy Garoppolo is slated to become a free agent in March.
Big prediction for the offseason: The Rams desperately need a young quarterback to develop behind Matthew Stafford. I predict they'll trade for Kenny Pickett, currently the QB2 of the Eagles, to fill the role after failing to land an acceptable rookie option in the draft. – Ben Solak, ESPN
It's not necessarily a surprise, as Tanner McKee was more impressive during his time on the field than Pickett. At the same time, how much trade value could Pickett even bring in? The Pittsburgh Steelers traded him, along with a 2024 fourth-rounder, to the Eagles and got a 2024 third-rounder and two 2025 seventh-rounders in return. That was after Pickett started for two years in Pittsburgh. Even as a former first-round pick – who's going to give up something, if anything, for a now-backup that just got outplayed by a former sixth-round pick?
Under-the-radar offseason priority: Elevate quarterback Tanner McKee. He has made the most of his limited opportunities since the Eagles drafted him in the sixth round in 2023 and deserves the No. 2 role behind Jalen Hurts. That could mean trading Kenny Pickett, who is scheduled to make a base salary of $2.6 million in 2025. – Tim McManus, ESPN
The Rams currently have seven draft picks, four of which are Day 3 picks. Pickett shouldn't command anything higher than a seventh-rounder, honestly. The problem is the fact that the Rams don't have a seventh-rounder in 2025, right now, and they're not projected to receive and Day 3 compensatory picks. So they may have to send a 2026 sixth, or something of that ilk, which is still a bit of an overpay, even if it's down the road.
No matter what happens, the Rams need to start seriously thinking about a Stafford Succession Plan, if they haven't already.
