Rams set themselves up to make a big QB move in 2026

USA Today

29-04-2025

Rams set themselves up to make a big QB move in 2026
Next year marks two milestone moments in the recent history of the Los Angeles Rams: It's the 10th anniversary of the team's decision to move up to draft Jared Goff No. 1 overall in 2016 and it's the fifth anniversary of the blockbuster trade for Matthew Stafford in 2021.
Could history repeat itself in 2026? The Rams have certainly set themselves up to make either of those types of moves for a quarterback after L.A. traded out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft and picked up the Atlanta Falcons' first-round pick in 2026. And the last time they did, the Rams reached a Super Bowl within three years of the move.
Now, the Rams have two picks in what looks like a great quarterback draft. As we know from last two times a team traded up for the No. 1 overall pick, the starting point for any negotiations is two first-round picks. The Rams have that in their pocket now, and can use it at their leisure.
This is, of course, all speculative and only on the table if the Rams see themselves moving on from Matthew Stafford in the next few years. Since he'll be 37, that is more than likely sooner rather than later, especially after the offseason contract negotiations.
The 2026 draft is full of quarterbacks. Arch Manning (Texas), Drew Allar (Penn State), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) and Nico Iamaleava (UCLA) are all projected first-round picks at this point in their careers. Others could join this group as the year unfolds, too. The Rams, armed with two first-rounders, are in prime position to move anywhere in the draft to snag one of them if they want.
However, the Rams could also go down the veteran trade market and use their picks as assets to acquire an established quarterback, like what they did with Stafford in 2021. This would take a bit more work and would require another team to want to move a quarterback. Less likely, but not impossible.
The Rams offer something a lot of other teams don't: Stability, good coaching, a big media market and a willingness to pay for talent. They did it with Stafford and could do it again in 2026.
The problem is there aren't many quarterbacks who could fit that bill. Things can change dramatically in a year, but unless feelings change between player and franchise, every franchise-caliber quarterback seems to be locked into their team for now. And the ones that aren't wouldn't be worth the Rams' picks.
If we had to guess, the candidates for potential movement in 2026 include Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert for a variety of reasons.
Lawrence hasn't lived up to his billing as a generational talent and the new Jacksonville Jaguars regime has Rams' connections (general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen), similar to what happened with Stafford trade with the Detroit Lions and ex-Rams executive Brad Holmes. Maybe Jacksonville wants to go in a different direction under center?
Burrow will always be a name to follow given the Cincinnati Bengals' proclivity for frugality, although they just paid Burrow's receivers in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Tagovailoa seems to always be on the hot seat, while Herbert might eventually get fed up the Los Angeles Chargers' inability to progress and head coach John Harbaugh may want to start over with a new hand-picked quarterback.
Again, this is all speculation with months to go before the 2025 season even starts. It's impossible to predict where the Rams will be a year from now and how they'll feel about their quarterback. But with those two first-round picks and a win-now attitude, the Rams are primed to make a quarterback splash either in the draft or with a veteran next year.