Rams Were Smart to Keep Matthew Stafford in the Fold
At one point early in the NFL's offseason, there was speculation that the Los Angeles Rams were ready to part ways with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. After four seasons with the Rams, Stafford was given permission to talk with other teams in February — the same month Stafford turned 37. Stafford met with the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, but ultimately signed a restructured new deal with the Rams.
Stafford passed for 3,762 yards with 20 touchdown passes and eight interceptions last season as the Rams finished 10-7, first in the NFC North, before taking the Philadelphia Eagles down to the wire in an NFC divisional playoff loss.
Entering his 16th NFL season, Stafford ranks 10th all-time in passing yards and touchdowns, and he's poised to continue climbing those charts. More importantly, with a talented young defense and new weapons on offense, Stafford and the Rams are in good position to make a Super Bowl run.
'Honestly, not seeing decline from Matthew Stafford,' one rival scout told Athlon Sports. 'He can still sling the rock. Yes, Sean McVay and Les Snead need to start planning ahead. But extending his deal was the right move. It's a have and have-not league at quarterback, and they have one.'
Those comments were made as part of the exclusive Rams scouting report in the Athlon Sports 2025 NFL Preview magazine, available online and at newsstands now.
The Rams did see a decline in wide receiver Cooper Kupp, and they let the Super Bowl LVI MVP leave via free agency. They replaced Kupp with another veteran star, Davante Adams, and the expectation is that Adams and third-year pro Puka Nacua could be one of the league's best wide receiver duos. After a breathtaking rookie season, Nacua led the Rams last season with 79 catches for 990 yards. Adams, who split time with the Raiders and New York Jets last season, has 59 touchdown receptions in the last five years. He's had at least 997 receiving yards in seven straight seasons — with more than 1,300 yards four times.
'There's a lot of cool plays McVay can dial up with Davante Adams in the huddle to go with Puka Nacua,' the scout said. 'There aren't a lot of dudes who can compete for the football the way they can and freeze DBs with their footwork.'
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jerry Jones Claims He Received Death Threats When He Bought the Dallas Cowboys and Fired Coach Tom Landry
NEED TO KNOW Jerry Jones claimed that he received multiple death threats shortly after he bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 In the new Netflix docuseries America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, the owner looks back on what happened after he fired legendary coach Tom Landry Jones hired his longtime friend and former teammate Jimmy Johnson as Landry's successor When Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys in February 1989 and then fired legendary head coach Tom Landry, virtually no one in the franchise's fandom was happy with the Arkansas oil man. Then, he installed himself as president and general manager — an unheard of move in the NFL — riling even more of the team's supporters. But none of his decisions in the early days of owning America's Team had prepared him for the extreme criticism from Cowboys Nation. 'I was Darth Vader,' Jones, 82, recalls in the new Netflix docuseries America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys. Jones told Arkansas state lawmakers at the time that he had received multiple death threats. 'They're serious about their football in the state of Texas, almost as much as we are in Arkansas,' he says in the doc. After Landry's firing, more than 100,000 people turned out for a parade through the streets of downtown Dallas to honor the Cowboys coach of 29 years. 'Jerry and the Jones family had broken into the museum and taken our most valuable possession,' former ABC affiliate WFAA-TV sportscaster Dale Hansen says in the doc, describing the affection fans had for the former coach. Looking back, even Jones confesses it may have been a rash decision to fire Landry — whose team notched a 3-13 record during his final season in 1988. 'The firing of Coach Landry was certainly one of the great PR missteps, maybe of all time,' Jones says. 'Because I still wear that.' At a press conference later termed the Saturday Night Massacre — a reference to the Watergate scandal — Jones announced his intentions with the team. One day later, he fired Landry and named longtime friend and fellow University of Arkansas teammate Jimmy Johnson as the new coach of the Cowboys. Charlotte Jones Anderson, Jones' daughter and the team's executive vice president and chief brand officer, recalls thinking after the press conference, "What do we do?' Jones says he had no choice but to forge ahead. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. His team in Dallas — nicknamed the City of Hate due to President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination — was coming together, and that's when Jones truly laid it all on the line, he says. 'With all that hate, I could stop and cry or I could just keep going,' Jones says. 'But I'm not gonna take my marbles and go home. I can't, I burned all my ships when I landed." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Browns name Joe Flacco Week 1 starter - but how long will he last?
Yahoo Sports host Andrew Siciliano, senior NFL writer Frank Schwab and senior NFL reporter Jori Epstein discuss Cleveland's choice for its starting quarterback to open the season. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript The Cleveland Browns today named Joe Flacco. He's a man, he's 40 as their starting quarterback, not just for a dress rehearsal. This coming Saturday, a 1 o'clock matinee at Huntington Bank Field against the Rams, in which Sean McVay will play nobody. He might even sign guys off the street to take Rams jerseys and to keep his guys healthy. So Joy, it is Joe Flacco, who took the Browns to the playoffs down the stretch in 2023, who doesn't just win by default. He wins because right now he's the best guy. Absolutely. And I think even before these injuries, this always seemed like the most likely outcome week one to me. I mean, Andrew, you and I saw each other at the Browns during mini camp before the summer break, before training camp. And to me, I left there thinking this is not a 4-way quarterback battle. This is 2 2-way quarterback battles. There is the veteran battle for week one and there is the rookie battle of, hey, who is most likely to be the one who gets a chance later in. The season if they decide to go from when now mode to, let's develop and plan for the future and determine if our guy's in-house mode. And I think that when I asked so many people around Cleveland, everyone from general manager Andrew Berry to head coach Kevin Stefanski, offensive coordinator Tommy Reese, what they were aligned on is the idea that their week one starter would be decided based on who is best able to operate the offense and make smart decisions. I think we, you know, we always talk about two things could be true as Joe Flacco is their best quarterback and also that is a sad statement for the Cleveland Browns because we saw Joe Flacco last year. The Colts tried to bench Anthony Richardson to say we need some time with Anthony. They watched two weeks of Flacco and they're like, Oh, we can't do this either. So anyway, that's your Browns starting quarterback in week one, Huzzah, and it just, it's, it's just, it, and also, yes, you're right, you can't put a guy out there when he's not ready. You can't put out the worst quarterback, but it also worked kind of both ways for Cleveland. We've talked all the time about their first 6 games, 1 and 5 wouldn't even be that bad of an outcome. 0 and 6 is on the table for them. It's an absolutely brutal start to the season. So you get through those six games, probably at some point in those six games or right after. Flacco gets benched, you go on to the next guy, and then you probably go on to the next. I'm full. I'll say this: I've said it. Four quarterbacks are going to start for the Cleveland Browns this year. I don't know when exactly Kenny Pickett's going to take over, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson's gonna take over, Shadoor's gonna take over, but I do believe all four quarterbacks will at least start one game this year, because I think you're going to want to get a look at both rookies, but I think can you pick a second line? I don't think Joe Flacco is making the season. It's just a mess in Cleveland. Look, their starting quarterback for 2026 is going to be playing on Saturdays this year, okay, like that. None of these guys are going to end up being the answer. Much less Joe Flacco. I think the biggest question is at what point do you say we need to see the kids, and then which of the young quarterbacks is the first one up? If you believe depth charts, and I don't put a lot of stock in them right now, it is still Gabriel three and Sanders four. That could change, right? They both played well, and by the way, it's not a binary decision. Browns fans, it is okay to say that both Shadoor Sanders and Dorian Gabriel played well. Like I I don't have to pick right now. They both played well. And if you're one of those fans out there that is screaming, this one's good and that one's awful, whichever one, you're probably not a Browns fan. You're probably a fan of one of those two quarterbacks from college, and you're just rooting. But I digress. Eventually, and Jimmy Haslam has said this, you're gonna have to see what you have. The question is when. Close
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Do the Browns set themselves up with off-field controversies?
Yahoo Sports host Andrew Siciliano, senior NFL writer Frank Schwab and senior NFL reporter Jori Epstein discuss Cleveland's signing of Isaiah Bond and the wait to sign a contract with Quinshon Judkins following both players' recent court cases. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript It's not the only news about the Browns today. Isaiah Bond, we talked about this last Thursday, has now officially signed. The former Alabama and Texas wide receiver had a no-bill against him, meaning a sexual assault allegation. The charges, or rather the DA in Texas, the state's attorney decided not to follow through with charges this past week, and the Browns signed Isaiah Bond today for a 3-year guaranteed contract for north of $3 million which means he's making the team. Which means maybe Deontay Johnson, uh, his roster spot is in danger. So the Browns, you'd have to think, feel that they get a 2nd or 3rd round value for a guy that they were able to sign off the street. In essence, it's a free draft pick. It should be noted, however, Frank, that the number 36 overall pick, Quinon Judkins, the running back from Ohio State, who, much like Bond will not face charges, an allegation of domestic abuse in Florida that was between minicamp and the start of training camp, has still not yet signed. Friend of ESPN, Adam Schefter reports that he may not sign until the NFL wraps up its investigation. And if you're Quinon Judkins, Frank, you're probably going, you. Isaiah Bond, 3 million guaranteed. I would like my full guarantee. Yet he's already run afoul of the law, even with charges being dropped, he could be suspended. So that looks like an impasse. It just seems like why would this franchise of all franchises be the one always in that business, but I get it, a bond, you feel like you're getting a discount. With Judkins, I think it's just getting really, really complicated and messy. They're a wait for the NFL to rule and try to sign him to a contract. I hate. I say this before we've even played a game with either of these guys, but the Browns took Judkins over Trayvon Henderson, who looks absolutely unbelievable so far with the Patriots. I don't know. It's one thing to bring in a player. The Browns do have this pattern of just person after person, and I know speeding tickets and domestic violence and sexual assault are not in the same categories, but don't, doesn't it feel like we're getting to a point where the Browns have way more off-field headlines rather than on-field headlines? I understand why people want to read into it. It's a string, those, you know, I don't say unfortunate events, but they're kind of all unrelated. But yeah, I mean, obviously those headlines are what they are. Those headlines don't get forgotten until you play a game, and they're going to play a game coming up on the set on September 7th, and we'll see what happens. Close
