The Rams know that they will have Matthew Stafford as their starting quarterback. They don’t yet know who they will have as their backup quarterback.
Stetson Bennett is the only other quarterback on the roster for now.
Jimmy Garoppolo, Stafford’s backup the past two seasons, is contemplating retirement.
Rams coach Sean McVay made clear Tuesday that the team hopes Garoppolo will return for another season.
“You leave the door open,” McVay said, via Vinny Bonsignore of the California Post. “You don’t want to press. We want to be able to give him his time, and he knows where we stand.”
Garoppolo, 34, was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2014. After a trade to the 49ers in 2017, he became the team’s starter and stayed in San Francisco until 2022.
He was with the Raiders in 2023.
Now, Garoppolo is contemplating a 13th season.
A report emerged on Monday that the Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford had made significant progress on a contract extension.
Stafford, 38, is currently slated to make $48.266 million in 2026 after winning his first MVP award in 2025. He reported for the start of the club’s offseason program on Monday.
In Los Angeles’ pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, General Manager Les Snead noted the club doesn’t feel there’s anything to worry about with Stafford’s situation.
“Progress has been made,” Snead said, via Nate Atkins of TheAthletic.com. “No timeline per se, but don’t expect any drama.”
That Stafford reported for the start of the offseason program is a sign that there is no acrimony between the two sides. It seems that Stafford and the Rams will reach a new deal sooner than later.
The Rams have made “significant progress” on an extension for quarterback Matthew Stafford, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
The 2025 NFL MVP has a contract that runs through 2026, and coach Sean McVay said last month that Stafford has “earned the right to be on a year-to-year basis.” McVay added that the Rams were willing to extend Stafford’s deal if that’s what he desired.
Stafford, 38, is scheduled to make $48.266 million this season.
He is coming off the best year of his career, when he led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. It led to his first MVP award and first-team All-Pro honor, likely sealing his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Stafford signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Rams in March 2022, which included $135 million in guaranteed money. The Rams adjusted that deal in 2024 to increase his cash for that season by $5 million while boosting his 2025 roster bonus.
The sides reworked the contract again a year ago after the Rams allowed Stafford to speak with other teams about a trade.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua is with the Rams for the first day of their offseason program.
Nacua’s attorney Levi McCathern announced earlier this month that Nacua had checked himself into a holistic care rehab facility. McCathern added that Nacua was expected to complete the program in time to take part in the Rams’ organized team activities, which get underway on May 26.
Word of Nacua’s decision came after he was accused of biting a woman and making antisemitic remarks during an incident on New Year’s Eve. He has been sued in relation to that incident, although his attorney said the decision to enter rehab came before that suit was filed.
Nacua has not spoken publicly about those events or his time in the rehab facility, but he could have an opportunity to do so at some point during the offseason program.
Earlier this month, free-agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was reportedly “weighing a few options.”
One of those options includes not playing for anyone.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Garoppolo is considering retirement.
Garoppolo, 34, was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2014. Traded to the 49ers, Garoppolo became the starter immediately. He signed after his first season a contract that made him, at the time, the highest-paid player in the NFL.
After the 2022 season, Garoppolo signed with the Raiders as a free agent. He then went to the Rams for 2024 and 2025.
The Cardinals had been linked to Garoppolo in free agency. A snag during contract talks resulted in the Cardinals signing Gardner Minshew.
The Rams, who have only Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett on the roster, continue to be interested in Garoppolo.
For now, Garoppolo has to decide whether he’s interested in playing for what would be a 13th NFL season.
