The Los Angeles Rams' championship window hinges on how Matthew Stafford can hold his own at the signal caller position. Sean McVay also just lost Aaron Donald which means that their defensive squad needs some revamps. This squad was good enough to make a deep run a year ago but they clearly have absences in the roster to fill as evidenced by the Rams training camp. So, how would Les Snead solve this problem?
Signal caller problems solved
Well, it looks like the Rams are their quarterback for training camp. Les Snead and the front office has given Matthew Stafford all the financial incentives to show up. The general manager and signal caller have agreed to terms which will give Stafford an extra $4 million in roster bonuses in the following season. This is already in addition to the $5 million from a later contract year which he will receive this year. All of which were moves made such that he attends Rams training camp, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
It has been an increasingly worrisome trend that veteran quarterbacks don't attend mandatory camp. In fact, it is not only Sean McVay who is experiencing this headache. In the New York Jets system, Aaron Rodgers has also outlined why these types of camps are of no interest to him as a veteran. So, front offices are either forced to deal with these issue using the teeth of their organization or through giving their players some incentives. The Rams frong office chose the latter because of Stafford's contributions.
Rams training camp is going to be significant this year. While Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp have pumped up their contributions, there are still a lot of weapons that need to get in sync with Stafford's style of play. For instance, the rookies that Snead got like Jordan Whittington, JJ Laap, Drake Stoops, and Sam Wiglusz still need to develop better chemsitry with the Rams quarteback.
Matthew Stafford's 2023 campaign with the Rams
Getting a Pro Bowl nod a little over a decade before one's last selection at 35 years old is an insane feat. Stafford is clearly aging like fine wine. He has also shown a lot of capability to lead McVay's Rams into yet another Super Bowl. Just last season, he was able to dart 326 completions. It also meant that he notched 3,965 passing with an insanely accurate 62.6% completion percentage.
Moreover, he also had a significant improvement in helping the Rams march to the end zone. From 10 touchdowns in 2023, he was able to lead the squad to 24 of them. Clearly, his athleticism will only get worse moving forward. But, the fact that it's getting substituted by his veteran chops have been very beneficial. With new personnel that he will only see in Rams training camp, only time will tell if he delivers yet another Pro Bowl season.
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