The next four games and our future at QB

[Coliseum Ram]

We had that shit show in 2022. It wasn't all Stafford's fault, but he didn't play well on top of all the injuries and BS.

After that we had two consecutive seasons of Stafford and the Rams front office being at odds on contract. And during the 2025 offseason he and McVay had to clear the room to get a deal done.

Since that magical title season we have come up short in the playoffs and have not advanced past the NFC Championship game.

By the way I agree it is possible I am underestimating McVay's opinion of and loyalty to Stafford. But I also think he went out of his way to go get a young QB who fit his offense during this last draft for a reason. And he is clearly willing to sit that young QB while Stafford plays as long as he wants. Provided Stafford is playing well.

He was really bad vs SF. Just one game, so you may be right also that this conversation is waaaaaaay too early. But my instincts are telling me this stretch is crucial in that regard, so I shared my thoughts. And hopefully I am wrong. Believe me I'll be very happy to have Stafford kick ass, lead us to a 4-1 record, and I get to endure BS from you boys over it. Rams winning is always my priority.

You are correct on both fronts:
1. Bringing up the Stafford arguments and various possibilities based on things going south.

And 2, hoping this stuff is proven wrong and you taking shit from the forum for it. Though Id say you wouldn't deserve shit for it since you are not making a prediction, but simply raising previously unforseen negative Stafford scenarios.

We need more of this IMHO.

You are SO centered........(Seinfeld line)

 

[Twopointtry]

The unique aspect of this situation is, as much as McVay loves Stafford, what I don't think people fully realize here is if we can move him to recoup some of our draft capital, all of a sudden we have a metric ton of cap space and can re-sign most of our guys AND we have close to a full complement of draft capital to restock. It goes from "the Rams went all in" to "the Rams have gifted Simpson with the best roster (sans QB) in the league, full of young talent".

Maybe someone else has more salary cap insight, but it doesn't look to me that the Rams financially could afford to trade Stafford. Can anyone confirm what the cap result would be for the Rams in a trade?

Stafford's earlier contract had team option bonuses. If the Rams exercised the option, the result would lower Stafford's base salary, but the tradeoff is it prorates money over future years. Presumably, the Rams did this, though I didn't pay attention to official reports confirming it. My understanding is that the trigger date for his option was something like the first game of the regular season.

In a trade, his new team (let's say the Vikings) would only take on his scheduled base salary and the future roster bonuses, which are both very small. It would be a bargain for the Vikings. For the Rams, we created "fake" years to prorate bonuses, helping make the numbers fit in our cap, but my understanding is that if we traded Stafford, all of those prorated bonuses would suddenly accelerate and hit us this season and we don't have nearly enough space under the cap to eat it.

My understanding is that if a player gets traded prior to the date of the option, the new team takes on that portion of the contract. Once the Rams exercise the option, however, I think we get stuck with that money; we don't get to shift it to Stafford's new team. In future seasons, the Rams would have more flexibility, but I don't see how we could make a trade work during the 2026 season for cap purposes.

 

[majrleaged]

Went to see a Monday night game vs the raiders at the Oakland coliseum. Saw it first hand. Manning could not get the ball downfield without a running start and still had to shot putt the ball.

Ironically, that’s what kept the raiders in the game for a while—they were getting burned deep but Manning could not get it there with any velocity. Basically, it just floated while the defender closed. We left saying he (Manning) was cooked.

So yes, it is possible that Stafford could suddenly hit the wall. No way to tell after one game though, because the entire team looked bad. I don’t believe this Rams roster is that bad. Let’s see who shows up Monday night.

If by hitting a wall you mean a kneck injury that after surgery he never gets his full arm strength back and it got worse pretty fast, then I guess it could happen, but that took a couple years or so to take place for Manning and even though Stafford was way off in game 1, his arm strength was still there. So I would say injury is the only thing that will put Stafford on the bench.

 

[SWAdude]

This thread has me convinced of one thing........
............ this loss was pretty rough for this fan base.

It has been a tough one.

GO RAMS!!!

 

[den-the-coach]

This thread has me convinced of one thing........
............ this loss was pretty rough for this fan base.

It has been a tough one.

GO RAMS!!!

I root for two teams in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams & anybody else playing the San Francisco 49ers. Plus all of a sudden I am surrounded by Giant fans flexing like Skattebo. It’s been a rough week.

 

[brucebruce]

So this won't be popular but I think the outcome of the next four games could potentially trigger a "transition" season at QB. Here's my rationale...

First, Stafford is old, he's got hard miles, and he's been butting heads with the Rams the past two offseasons about his contract. He got a new contract in May that will cover him through the 2027 season. He just won the MVP last year. Looking at his performance in the opener, he was overly concerned and affected by the rush, inaccurate due to it, and was benched in the 4th quarter (and rightly so).

Second, the Rams invested a top pick in Simpson. He played well during the preseason, looking very sharp, and because they took him in the first round he comes with 5 years of team control.

Third, the next four games are brutal. The Giants are the "easy" game, and they will be bringing the kind of physicality that always gives McVay teams fits. Then after that game we have @ Broncos, @ Eagles, and Bills. That's a 3/4 playoff level matchup, and it's possible the Giants end up a playoff team this year or at the least a contender for a spot instead of their usual failings.

Where the next four games factor in is that if the Rams end up sub .500 and/or alone in the divisional basement, that may serve as the trigger in utilizing this season as a transition to the new QB. It is when all those elements sort of come together and force the Rams to ask that question. Do you think they won't be thinking about starting the kid if we're sitting at 1-4 or maybe even 2-3? The worse the record of course the more likely it becomes.

And I don't know if Stafford sees this coming. Is he going to recognize the threat of it. I am sure, after all, that he feels quite comfortable with his new contract and coming off the MVP season, where his job security probably isn't a question in his mind. The kid is parked at QB3 as well, and if I were him I wouldn't worry about Bennett either. But the threat is the kid. Where the team will ask that question "why not see what he can do" in the event they find themselves buried in the early season standings. And depending on how they answer the question, that may effectively start the new era at QB a bit earlier than anticipated.

JFC. Stafford benched? Interesting the way people interpret the world.

 

[PhillyRam]

JFC. Stafford benched? Interesting the way people interpret the world.

Yep, by that logic all the starters will be benched because they were pretty much all benched when Stafford was. A lot of overreacting to one game by too many on here.

 

[gogoat1]

Stafford was benched because there was no point in getting him hurt.

 

[Merlin]

Stafford was benched because there was no point in getting him hurt.

Lot of things factored in I am sure. But if Stafford was back in form and dealing in the second half you can bet your ass he would have finished the game.

Rams put his ass on the pine where he belonged at least in part due to his play.

 

[SteezyEndo]

Lot of things factored in I am sure. But if Stafford was back in form and dealing in the second half you can bet your ass he would have finished the game.

Rams put his ass on the pine where he belonged at least in part due to his play.

If the Rams weren’t trying to win and after Staffords horrible first half showing I would of benched his ass thee entire 2nd Half to see if we could of atleast got more points then a 2nd Qtr 7 that we ended up just having the whole game.

 

[PhillyRam]

This place is amazing. Ready to bench the 2025 MVP after a game in which THE ENTIRE TEAM didnt show up, after some dubious travel plans, playing a world away in Australia, against a team that always gives us fits. Amazing.

 

[Ramstien]

The Rams will rally around Matt Stafford and play good football. Changed the name of the QB in a quote made by coach Vermeil.

 

[Coliseum Ram]

Stafford was PUT on the bench (not benched) with around 3? minutes to go down 27-7. McVay simply waved the White Flag which some could criticise him for but I had no problem with it.

He also got to establish for the world to see, Bennett as QB2, for whatever its worth.

 

[Coliseum Ram]

The Rams will rally around Matt Stafford and play good football. Changed the name of the QB in a quote made by coach Vermeil.

Yeah, we got it.

Rule of comedy #1: dont EXPLAIN the joke........

 

[Merlin]

This place is amazing. Ready to bench the 2025 MVP after a game in which THE ENTIRE TEAM didnt show up, after some dubious travel plans, playing a world away in Australia, against a team that always gives us fits. Amazing.

Calling Stafford's play what it was does not exempt the others for their shit play. Nor do we need to caveat the play of everyone else in order to discuss how terribly he played.

 

[FrantikRam]

I think you vastly underestimate McVay's opinion of and loyalty to Stafford. It'll take a downright shit show for him to ever bench him during the season. Like mathematically eliminated from playoffs before Thanksgiving kind of shit show and even then I'd be surprised. 1-4 or 2-3 isn't going to cause anything to happen to Stafford. Now if the season is a disaster as a whole for him than I would never be surprised at McSnead pulling the plug on anyone and moving on in the offseason. But this conversation is waaaaaaaaaaay too early to be having. Come back around Halloween.

It is too early, but its interesting to start thinking through. And I agree its unlikely.

The reason why I think there is a small chance though IS because of how much McVay feels loyalty to Stafford. If we were out of it, I could see Stafford wanting a chance to win.

Again, all very unlikely, and given our talent level AND the fact that we have been 3-6 before and made the playoffs, I think it makes it even more unlikely.

But I also like the idea of making everyone eat crow by having cap space and draft capital and seeing them go from "THE RAMS ARE SO STUPID FOR GOING ALL IN" to "Holy shit.....the Rams have a ton of young talent locked up, more space and they actually have picks? We're fucked if Simpson is good"

 

[dang]

Maybe someone else has more salary cap insight, but it doesn't look to me that the Rams financially could afford to trade Stafford. Can anyone confirm what the cap result would be for the Rams in a trade?

Stafford's earlier contract had team option bonuses. If the Rams exercised the option, the result would lower Stafford's base salary, but the tradeoff is it prorates money over future years. Presumably, the Rams did this, though I didn't pay attention to official reports confirming it. My understanding is that the trigger date for his option was something like the first game of the regular season.

In a trade, his new team (let's say the Vikings) would only take on his scheduled base salary and the future roster bonuses, which are both very small. It would be a bargain for the Vikings. For the Rams, we created "fake" years to prorate bonuses, helping make the numbers fit in our cap, but my understanding is that if we traded Stafford, all of those prorated bonuses would suddenly accelerate and hit us this season and we don't have nearly enough space under the cap to eat it.

My understanding is that if a player gets traded prior to the date of the option, the new team takes on that portion of the contract. Once the Rams exercise the option, however, I think we get stuck with that money; we don't get to shift it to Stafford's new team. In future seasons, the Rams would have more flexibility, but I don't see how we could make a trade work during the 2026 season for cap purposes.

Why the F is anyone spending time or energy on a Stafford trade scenario at this point in the season? Is this what people do when they retire?

 

[PhillyRam]

Calling Stafford's play what it was does not exempt the others for their shit play. Nor do we need to caveat the play of everyone else in order to discuss how terribly he played.

No one is defending his play. He played poorly. However, for now I will put it in context of an entire team looking flat in a unique situation that their coach may have put them in that wasn't ideal.

If he sucks for the next month or more then there is potentially a real discussion on whether he is cooked. For now I am willing to give him the the benefit of the doubt considering his extremely high level of play exhibited just 8 months ago.

 

[pvtdragon39]

I root for two teams in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams & anybody else playing the San Francisco 49ers. Plus all of a sudden I am surrounded by Giant fans flexing like Skattebo. It’s been a rough week.

Yep, sounds exactly like the Giants Fans I knew and Grew up with in Upstate! Suprised some are not putting helmets on, smashing into Walls, and Yelling Wooooo like Skatte! At least they are not going through tables yet, like some I know lol.

Now the Pats fans we have up here With Drake" Drake Maye" Maye shit and Maye got Robbed for MVP. Ill root for your team ONLY if they are Facing Teams I hate, or it helps the Rams with seeding!

 

[pvtdragon39]

What is with these " Trade Stafford " Shit? Go be a fucking Browns fan, Will Ya. For Fuck Sake. We are gonna Go 0-5, blah blah. No we are not. I wouldnt be Surprised if We are 5-3 or better by the Commies Game in week 9.