All Ball Sports: The Rams Quarterback Problem

by Paul Teetor

Lately, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford sounds like a modern Hamlet: to retire or not to retire.

That is the suddenly urgent question he is pondering.

The Manhattan Beach resident – he and his family live on The Strand, a couple of blocks from the Pier – certainly doesn’t need more money. He signed a four-year $160,000,000 – that’s right, $160 million dollars — contract extension following the Rams Super bowl victory three years ago.

So now he says he is pondering his future following the Rams 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday in the second round of the playoffs. If he does retire, the Rams would be, to put it mildly, screwed, because they haven’t drafted or developed an heir apparent.

Even though Stafford had a good game against the Eagles overall, his fourth quarter fumble was fatal to the Rams chances of winning the game. Now, for the first time since he arrived in Los Angeles four years ago, we are hearing from the pro football “experts” that he may be too old at 36, too immobile – when the defense closes in on him he’s more likely to take a sack than to take off running – and too fragile to continue playing in the brutal world of the National Football League.

In April someone – either in the Rams front office or in Stafford’s camp — leaked the inside dope that Stafford wanted his contract “adjusted” so that he would get more money this season. The word “holdout” wasn’t explicitly used, but Stafford let it be known through his mainstream media minions that he would consider not playing if his contract wasn’t “adjusted.”

The off-field drama continued through the spring and right into training camp before the Rams finally capitulated to his demands and agreed to pay him more money this season.

But now this season is over and the Rams have to realistically confront their quarterback problem. McVay said they do now want a repeat of last summer’s confusion and uncertainty over whether Stafford will be playing next season or not.

“We don’t want to have that go on again,” McVay said. “I don’t think that’s good for anybody. Sooner rather than later we want to get that clarity.”

McVay, who is known as a player’s coach, a guy who has the magic touch with his players and is able to get the best out of them, then tried to soften the implicit message he was sending that Stafford has one more year on his contract and he should honor it.

Period.

“I think there’s a lot of love coming from our part, and I think there’s a lot of appreciation coming from his part as well,” McVay said. “I think a lot sooner then later is an ideal scenario.”

After the loss to Philly a few days earlier – a game the Rams could have won if Stafford hadn’t fumbled and given up a gift touchdown at a key moment – Stafford was ambivalent about coming back.

“I need to take some time to think about the future,” he said. “But I feel like I was playing some pretty good ball.”

Translation: I can still pass the rock and take the Rams deep into the playoffs, with a puncher’s chance to win a Super Bowl. But if you don’t pay me what I want you’ll have to go with my backup, and good luck with that because right now you don’t even have a backup quarterback.

While both sides were laying out their case publicly and politely, Kelly Stafford, Matthew’s wife and mother of their four girls, got into the act in a way that was, let us say, surprising.

A few other football wives have podcasts, but they rarely get into the details on their husband’s dealings with their team the way that Kelly Stafford did.                

During the latest episode of her “Timeout” podcast Kelly Stafford explained that she will “have a really hard time” if the quarterback chooses to hang up his jersey for good. And said she refuses to push him one way or the other with the decision.

“That is going to be solely his decision,” Kelly, 35, said. “I’m not going to pressure him. I’m here to listen. At the end of the day, he texted me and he was like, ‘We’ll talk about it.’ I was like, ‘You talk, I’ll listen.’ As much as he wants to make it a joint decision, he has to make it. I don’t want him to resent me and I want it to be fully his own. But he’s going to have to figure it out somewhat soon because the Rams need to know.”

Reading between the lines, it sounds like the Staffords are double-teaming the Rams, making sure they know they could lose him to retirement if they don’t pay him what he wants.

After a dismal 1-4 start to the season, the Rams came out of their bye week and won nine of the next 11 games and took home the NFC West title.  The comeback was thanks mainly to Stafford, star receiver Puka Nacua and a rejuvenated defense led by star rookie linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. 

In the playoff loss to Philly, Stafford played through a lingering rib injury and completed 26-of-44 passes for 324 yards for two touchdowns and zero interceptions in snowy conditions.

But he also had two costly fumbles and his wife hinted the tough loss could be the end of the road for him.

“I do believe there is a part of him that’s ready to retire and the girls are doing things he doesn’t want to miss out on,” she said. “And he’s given his life to football, eventually this is going to happen no matter what. If it’s not this year it could be next year. I think he had a great season, and if he wants to go out on that, that’s a f–king proud way to go out.”

Kelly added, “I do believe if it wasn’t a good season he’d be like, ‘F–k this, I’m going back to play, I’m not going out on a bad one.’”

“Matthew and I are going to discuss it. If it is over — God, I don’t want to cry — I’m going to have a really hard time because I think he’s playing really good football,” Kelly said. “He’s good at it and I love watching him do what he loves to do and I love the fact he’s finally getting the respect he deserves.

So retirement would suck, but with that said, we woke up this morning, took the kids to school and got breakfast. There was no thought of what we have this week, what time does he have to go into work, if he’ll be home for dinner … It was really nice.”

The Rams acquired Stafford from the Lions in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and multiple draft picks in March 2021 — and he led Los Angeles to a Super Bowl title that first season while Goff continued to flounder in Detroit.

But since then, Goff has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He is in the running for MVP of the entire league, although that honor is more likely to go to Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes or Buffalo’s Josh Allen – all top tier quarterbacks.

And that is why this standoff is likely to end with Stafford getting what he wants.

In the NFL, no elite quarterback means no Super Bowl win.

It’s that simple and Stafford knows it, McVay knows it and Kelly Stafford knows it too.

To end up with Stafford retired and the guy they traded for him named the league MVP would be a disaster on and off the field for years to come.

That’s why he’ll get paid.        

Contact: teetor.paul@gmail.com. ER