Matthew Stafford’s future with the Los Angeles Rams has been up in the air this offseason. The Rams have been shopping Stafford around to potential quarterback-hungry teams. They have also been reevaluating their roster, with star wide receiver Cooper Kupp likely to leave as well.
Former Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner thinks that the Rams should think about keeping Stafford around. Warner won his championship as a member of the Rams and would like to see the Rams keep Stafford even though he’s not getting any younger.
Kurt Warner’s Message to the Rams
In an interview with talkSPORT, Warner hinted to the Rams’ front office that firing Stafford would be a mistake.
“If you want to win as a team, then you don’t get rid of guys like that,” said Warner in his interview.
Warner has been to the Super Bowl and won it. He knows what it takes to achieve the main goal of every NFL franchise. Stafford has been through plenty of obstacles and has been there like Warner. Warner’s warning to the front office that they would be losing one of the guys in the NFL that gives you a real chance.
Warner disagrees with the front office’s vision of the team’s current status. Warner considers the gutwrenching playoff loss against the Philadelphia Eagles a benchmark for the team’s current status. The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl after stopping the Rams deep in their territory on the final drive.
The Rams are looking toward the future and potentially looking to move off of Stafford’s large contract. He is owed $49 million for this upcoming season. Along with their desire to move on from Kupp, the Rams would be clearing salaries to improve their team. After two tough early exits in the playoffs, the Rams front office might say this team has reached its ceiling and needs a new look.
Matthew Stafford’s 2024 Season
Once again, Warner’s views on Stafford aren’t quite aligned with his performance in this previous season. Stafford had 3,768 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 65.8% of his passes. It wasn’t the best year for Stafford, but it did the job well enough to get the Rams to the playoffs and a win in the playoffs.
“Matt, he’s a top-five, top-seven quarterback in the league at this point, no matter where you want to stack him up,” said Warner on how Stafford stacks against the other quarterbacks of the league.
According to PFSN’s QB+ rankings, Stafford came in at 22nd. He was not a top-seven quarterback, as Warner had mentioned. His two worst finishes have come in the last three seasons, which creates questions about whether his best performances are behind him.
Stafford is doing enough to be a competent quarterback in the NFL, but he is not the same quarterback he was when the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2022. His future is up in the air after a mediocre 2024 season, but Warner thinks that Stafford should get another shot as the Rams quarterback, and it would be a mistake to go in a different direction.