The Los Angeles Rams have options if Matthew Stafford does retire, but none of them are appealing
The Los Angeles Rams have a few options to replace Matthew Stafford if he retires, but they better hope he doesn’t.
The Los Angeles Rams enter the offseason once more wondering about whether quarterback Matthew Stafford will return for the following season.
This year, after a brutal loss in the NFC Championship game that has shaken the Rams to their core (as it should have), all head coach Sean McVay has said is that he is “crossing his fingers” on Stafford to return.
Stafford’s contract has a $40 million salary guarantee that will vest on the 5th day of the 2026 league year, so the Rams will effectively need a decision by the beginning of March on whether or not Stafford will return.
If he doesn’t, what can the Rams do under center? Well, the options aren’t great.
Rams options to replace Matthew Stafford
Option A: Find a trade
If the Rams won’t have Stafford back, this is probably their likeliest option. They’ll have two first rounders this year and enough capital over the next two years to survive with a massive trade. The team is built up enough to be able to weather the storm of not having capital.
The problem becomes: Who would be worth it? As fun as it is to speculate, I can’t imagine the Cincinnati Bengals are interested in a Joe Burrow trade. The Dallas Cowboys can’t afford a Dak Prescott trade. The team theoretically could trade for Geno Smith or someone in that same vein, but that’s more or less kicking the can down the road and not a real solution.
Could they opt for a reclamation project like Will Levis or Anthony Richardson? That might be their best bet in a trade, and would more than likely ensure they keep their first-round capital, but how good does that make anyone feel?
Option B: Sign Free Agent, I guess?
The Rams do have a significant amount of cap space heading into this offseason, so perhaps they could opt to invest some of that into a quarterback.
The biggest long shot with the most upside is adding former Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis in free agency. However, every QB-needy team is going to want to bring him in this offseason. Will the Rams go beyond a certain price point and almost certainly overspend to bring him in? I’m not sure that fits well with their strategy.
If they just want some sort of veteran stability, they could hope Daniel Jones is healthy enough. Kirk Cousins is likely going to be released by the Atlanta Falcons. While I sure hope they don’t want to settle for this, the team does love Jimmy Garoppolo, and he would be cheap to stick around.
Option C: Hope a rookie looks better than advertised
Their other choice is to hope that they pull off a miracle and find a quarterback from a draft class that looks to be a one-man only crop. The 2026 NFL Draft is not inspiring for any options under center beyond Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier are two that fit from an archetypal standpoint, but both have significant red flags that the Rams typically try to avoid with recent injuries. Beyond those two, you’re aiming for complete shots in the dark with guys like Drew Allar or Taylen Green, neither of whom should command high draft capital or be viewed as franchise quarterbacks internally until they prove it.
Option D: The ethical tank
The Rams aren’t wired like this, but I’m sure it will pop up as a popular idea. Bring back Jimmy Garoppolo under center and then aim to have as high a draft pick as possible for the 2027 NFL Draft. I feel significantly more confident in one of Arch Manning, Dante Moore, or LaNorris Sellers being a franchise quarterback than any of the non-Mendoza quarterbacks in the 2026 class.