Heading into their bye week, sitting at 1-4, the Los Angeles Rams find themselves in a pickle. Matthew Stafford is another year older on a team with nearly no chance to make the playoffs. Also, the Rams invested heavily in the offense to ensure they take advantage of Stafford’s waning years. They have spent 65.4 percent of their salary cap on the offense with an added emphasis on the offensive line. They have the most expensive offense and the third-most expensive offensive line in the league.
Should The Rams Trade Matthew Stafford?
Further complicating things, the Rams don’t have a succession plan for the quarterback. This begs the question, should they blow it up now and set themselves up to pick up a quarterback via trade or the draft?
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is in the full reset camp and he believes the Minnesota Vikings are the ideal trade partner for the Rams.
“If they lose two of the next three, Stafford could become a candidate for a deadline deal to a contender who would be adding a guy who is still a top-10 quarterback.”
“If, for example, the Jets provided a blueprint for making Sam Darnold look mortal,” Florio writes. “the Vikings would be wise (if they lose to the Lions and then to Stafford’s Rams) to at least entertain the possibility of an upgrade. (Coincidentally, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and Stafford worked together for a year in L.A. And they both won a Super Bowl ring for their efforts.)”
Ryan Dyrud made a similar point in during the Rams’ Skinny podcast.
While it may seem unprecedented, he cites this example: The Cincinnati Bengals traded quarterback Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders in 2011. This trade occurred just two days before the trade deadline, following an injury to Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell.
After their bye, the Rams take on the Las Vegas Raiders, then the Vikings, and will take on the Seattle Seahawks days before the November 5th trade deadline.
