The Los Angeles Rams and reigning MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford are currently negotiating a new contract, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
A new deal would keep the 38-year-old QB around for at least two more seasons.
“My understanding is the two sides have made significant progress on a deal,” Rapoport stated. “Not focused on giving him a raise this year, though that likely will come, more focused on giving him an extension. Stafford is in his late 30s…but he’s kept playing at an unbelievably high level and created a problem of sorts for the Rams because he still wants to get paid because he’s playing so well.”
As Rapoport alluded to, Stafford is coming off the best season of his career, in which he threw for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, and eight interceptions en route to his first MVP award.
Not knowing exactly when Stafford might retire, the Rams are in a bit of a predicament.
They could draft a young passer and develop him to eventually take over for Stafford, or they could acquire a young, cheap veteran to groom for the same position, which is why John Breech of CBS Sports recently proposed the team trade its 2026 sixth-round pick for Tennessee Titans backup quarterback Will Levis.
“There was some speculation that Levis might get dealt before the draft last year, but that didn’t happen,” Breech wrote. “… The Titans signed Mitchell Trubisky in March, which means that Levis is now expendable. One landing spot that would make a lot of sense for Levis is with Sean McVay in Los Angeles.
“Not only do the Rams have an aging quarterback in Matthew Stafford, but they don’t have any experienced quarterbacks behind him. Stetson Bennett is the only other signal-caller on the roster and the former 2023 fourth-round pick has never thrown an NFL pass. On the other hand, Levis does have some NFL experience with 21 starts during his three years in Tennessee. By adding Levis, this would give McVay a chance to develop the 26-year-old and the best part for the Rams is that Levis will come cheap.”
Conversely, Levis’ offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky was current Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, who spent three seasons working under McVay previously, meaning Levis is already familiar with the Rams’ offensive scheme.