One of the biggest remaining roster pieces for the Los Angeles Rams to fill is their opening at backup quarterback. Matthew Stafford will be age 38 for the 2026 season. He’s no spring chicken nor stranger to injury. While the odds the Rams will make good on their Super Bowl push without Stafford are minimal, sufficient insurance is necessary when the rest of the team is built to win now.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to point out that the most likely solution to the backup question is bringing back veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo maybe had a chance to compete for a starting gig elsewhere, but his best opportunity fizzled out when the Arizona Cardinals announced Jacoby Brissett as their starter and signed Gardner Minshew for their number two slot.
Garoppolo remains a free agent, further increasing the chances he returns to Los Angeles.
The dots are easy to connect. Why haven’t the Rams brought him back yet?
Is Stetson Bennett ready for larger role?
This is Stetson Bennett’s fourth year on the roster. It’s not a guarantee he will be on the team if a veteran backup is brought in and the Rams need to make room elsewhere as the tide rises and becomes more competitive at other positions.
While most have pretty much written off their hopes of Bennett contributing at the NFL level, is there a reason why the Rams have kept him around this long? Do they see potential in him to hold water if Stafford misses time?
He’s most certainly one of the cheapest paths laid in front of the team. It’s possible that by investing in other areas of the roster in exchange you must cut back somewhere else. Maybe paying a backup QB north of $5M per year is more than the Rams are capable of at this point.
Would Rams sign someone else?
We also cannot ignore the obvious connection between Sean McVay and Kirk Cousins, who similarly to Garoppolo remains unsigned on the free agent market. Cousins led the Falcons to a late-season resurgence last year and could have some gas left in the tank. The peaks of his career were taller than anything Garoppolo accomplished, and he could potentially bring more to the quarterback position in 2026.
Solve through the draft
One thought I cannot shed is that the Rams hiring of Kliff Kingsbury as an offensive assistant could tip their hand at plans through the draft. It’s no secret that the Rams have built their roster for contention for the foreseeable future. Stafford’s tenure is probably shorter term.
If Los Angeles is going to stick the landing from Stafford to the next franchise quarterback, they made need to invest in the future sooner than later. It could even take multiple dart throws at the position in order to prove successful. It would be painful to see failed experiments stain the remaining Rams careers of the likes of Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, Trent McDuffie, Kobie Turner, and others.
Is this the year the Rams attempt to futureproof and draft a quarterback?
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