Former Detroit Lions and current Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford started his NFL career back in 2009, so he’s familiar with this time in the season when starters sometimes don’t start. Now, Rams head coach Sean McVay has made an announcement about whether or not he’ll sit Stafford during the team’s Week 18 game against the Seattle Seahawks. The matchup is set for SoFi Stadium on Sunday, January 5.
McVay told reporters on Friday, January 3, that he’s opting to rest Stafford. On the Friday injury report, Stafford is listed as sitting the game out, but it’s “not injury related.”
Sean McVay Says Rams Have Been’ Relatively Healthy’
It’s not a big surprise that McVay chose to rest Stafford, because Los Angeles already has a playoff spot and sits in first place in the NFC West. With the postseason right around the corner, McVay wants to make sure his best players will be able to appear in the run.
Stafford, 36, was a former first-round pick of the Detroit Lions, who brought him on with the top overall pick from Georgia in 2009. He was involved in a major trade in 2021 that that sent him to the Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and some draft picks.
Speaking to reporters before practice on Friday, McVay stated that, “Fortunately for us, we’ve been relatively healthy.”
“We have had some situations that we’ve navigated through, especially on the offensive line,” he added. “Guys are banged up, but they’d be able to go if it was a normal game so we’re going to err on the side of caution with those guys and then some of the skill players offensively that’ve gotten a bunch of work and really have been just a little bit more experienced players.”
The Heir to Matthew Stafford
Between Stafford’s time in Detroit and Los Angeles, he’s quite a veteran. He’ll turn 37 in February, and that has some NFL analysts and experts talking about when he might step down. When he does, the Rams will need someone to take his place.
Blaine Grisak of Turf Show Times says that he believes injured Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy could be an option. The Vikings have been playing quarterback Sam Darnold this season, with McCarthy out on injury.
One plus to McCarthy coming to Los Angeles is that he “spent his rookie year learning under Kevin O’Connell who was the former Rams offensive coordinator and runs a variation of the McVay-Shanahan scheme,” Grisak noted in a January 2 feature.
“In a sense, McCarthy would already be familiar in the offense,” he added. “The relationship between O’Connell and McVay could benefit the Rams in trade discussions as well. They have worked together before in trade negotiations, notably in the Cam Akers trade.”
Whether or not the Rams are looking at bringing on McCarthy, there’s no question that they’ll have to take care of their quarterback conundrum during the offseason. Backup Jimmy Garoppolo‘s contract is up soon, and Stetson Bennett will be in his third year.
“With Stafford getting older, it may be time to start considering a potential heir and McCarthy would be a good fit,” Grisak stated.
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Rams Make Announcement on Former Lions QB Matthew Stafford