Matthew Stafford is approaching the twilight of his career and could even retire at the end of next season. The Los Angeles Rams currently have no replacement on the roster for Stafford, which could have some significant side effects moving forward. Stafford could continue playing another few years, but the team needs to find a replacement sooner rather than later.
Rams Predicted To Select Matthew Stafford Replacement in 2026 NFL Draft
Last season marked a down year for Stafford, who was the 22nd-best quarterback in the league, according to PFN’s QB+ metric. However, he still supported the 11th-best offense in the league by PFN’s Offense+ metric.
While Stafford’s tank isn’t empty, it surely is getting there, and if not next season, he is hanging up his cleats in a few years. The Rams have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and it could be a perfect opportunity to find his immediate replacement.
However, PFSN analyst Joe DeLeone doesn’t think Stafford will retire in the immediate future and predicts the Rams will have a decent season in 2025. He, therefore, expects them to select a quarterback late in the third round with the 88th overall pick in his latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, and it’s John Mateer out of Oklahoma.
Mateer transferred to Oklahoma in December 2024 after a breakout season at Washington State. There, he threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 826 yards. Overall, he led the FBS with 44 total touchdowns. His dual-threat skills earned him a spot as a Manning Award finalist and the Pac-12 Offensive Top Performer.
#Oklahoma QB John Mateer (Washington St. transfer) has never seen a throw that he didn’t like. Can spin it from all types of funky arm angles. pic.twitter.com/3hA9HyW4xr
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) June 3, 2025
The 21-year-old has been lauded for his ability to be calm under pressure, with ESPN’s Todd McShay calling him a breathtaking prospect to study.
“Mateer is a breathtaking prospect to study in all the ways,” McShay said. “He’s an undersized playmaker with undeniable suddenness and speed. He has a snap release with energy on the ball no matter the arm angle or body contortion on delivery.”
“I absolutely love his competitive fire and toughness, and also appreciate that when buying time (which is frequently) he’s always looking to advance the offense rather than bailing/drifting/retreating.”
Mateer has a solid sense of timing, knows how to climb the pocket, and picks his spots to run. On top of that, he’s a really good athlete. While there are a few areas of improvement in his game, including his footwork and tendency to make erratic decisions at times, those things should be sorted out in his senior season.
Even if some concerns remain when he enters the draft next year, he is the type of dynamic quarterback Sean McVay would love, and if he keeps putting up numbers, he could very well be under center in Los Angeles instead of Stafford in the coming years.
