The Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead made it clear that quarterback Matthew Stafford was one of the team's ‘pillars' moving forward, indicating that a trade was not going to happen, despite NFL rumors suggesting otherwise. But what if that wasn't always the Rams' stance?
Just as Stafford's 2023 and 2024 salaries became fully guaranteed on Friday, it was reported that the Rams would have ‘welcomed‘ a trade of the veteran quarterback, sources told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
That is a very different stance than the one taken by Snead with the media.
But it's not like a Stafford trade would have been completely far-fetched, given the way the Rams have conducted business this offseason.
Just two years removed from their Super Bowl win and stuck in one of the worst cap situations in the league, the Rams have reluctantly transitioned to a ‘remodel', as Snead calls it.
Los Angeles fielded trade calls on as many as nine players- and ex-general manager Mike Lombardi claimed that Stafford was one of them in one NFL rumor.
Given that the Rams were willing to deal All-Pro corner Jalen Ramsey, who was shipped to the Miami Dolphins, why wouldn't they have been willing to do the same with Stafford, especially with so many QB-needy teams around the league.
Of course, it's also possible that Stafford, coming off of an injury-riddled 2022 season marred with retirement question marks, simply didn't have much trade value.
It's a moot point now, as the Rams and Stafford are married to each other financially.
But it's interesting to think about the fact that Los Angeles seems to have considered a trade of their star quarterback just two years after they brought him to Hollywood via a blockbuster.
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