The guy just won the MVP award. Yes, the Rams fell one game short of the Super Bowl, but that was not because of Stafford or the offense. The defense failed!
Matthew Stafford was the Most Valuable Player last season, yet people continue talking about him like he is some broken-down quarterback hanging on for one final season. The guy just won the MVP award. Yes, the Rams fell one game short of the Super Bowl, but that was not because of Stafford or the offense. The defense failed, and even with those issues, Stafford still nearly carried the team all the way back for a win. Instead of appreciating the level he is still playing at, the entire conversation immediately shifted toward replacement plans and “life after Stafford,” which honestly makes no sense based on what we just watched last season. Read on Substack!
I learned this week that the organization is apparently using some kind of Moneyball-style analytical system to help gauge and guide roster decisions, which honestly makes a lot more sense when you look at how they approach the offseason. I also love the offseason trade discussions because, in my opinion, every scenario or rumor I have brought to the table is above and beyond anything they could have landed in this year’s draft. The problem is that they seem scared about Stafford getting injured, which is a horrible way to think about a player coming off an MVP season. What am I saying? They were nervous about his preseason injury, which is ironic because I do not think he missed a single down last season. Regardless, everyone, including the Rams themselves, along with Les Snead and Sean McVay, needs to allow Matthew Stafford to simply continue playing at the elite level he is capable of before constantly discussing retirement or replacement plans, let alone relying on some “Moneyball”-style system designed to calculate or gauge Stafford’s long-term health as a way to justify solidifying the No. 13 draft pick.
By the way, have you seen Tom Brady lately? The guy looks incredible. Granted, he was just at the Kevin Hart roast last week standing next to Kevin, but I honestly had no idea he was that tall and broad. Also, did he somehow get even more chiseled over the years, or does he just age differently than everyone else? Setting aside Brady’s absurd luck in the genetics department, the larger point remains the same, like Brady, Stafford has earned the right to avoid hearing nonstop speculation about replacing him every five minutes. If he gets injured this year, we can cross that bridge when we come to it, so to speak. We can figure out who the backup is in a few months and hope we do not have to worry about it.
I have said this before, and I will continue saying it, what happens if Stafford once again plays completely out of his mind, but this time actually has a strong, consistent, and championship-level defense behind him for the next two seasons? That is my goal for this team. Then we can start talking about retirement timelines and future replacements. Until then, the focus should be maximizing the championship window that still exists right now.
If any of the trade rumors I have written about actually come true, I will absolutely admit the Rams nailed this offseason. In fact, I already think the offseason has gone above and beyond what I expected in several areas. Some of the defensive moves they have already made surpassed what I originally wanted them to do. And remember, months ago here at On The Rampage, I specifically said I wanted the Rams to prioritize drafting a cornerback.
For months, the national football conversation surrounding the Los Angeles Rams has drifted into a strange and increasingly detached place. Despite the franchise coming off one of its most explosive offensive seasons in years, despite Matthew Stafford delivering the finest statistical campaign of his career, and despite the organization reaching the NFC Championship Game behind an MVP quarterback, a sizable portion of the sports media continues framing the Rams as if they are somehow preparing for the end of an era rather than aggressively building toward another Super Bowl run.
That has become one of the more bizarre storylines surrounding the NFL entering the 2026 season because the Rams themselves have shown absolutely no indication they are thinking conservatively about the future. Every meaningful move made by Sean McVay and Les Snead over the past several months points in the opposite direction. This is not a franchise easing into transition. It is a franchise attempting to maximize what it believes is still one of the most dangerous championship windows in football.
The reality is simple, Matthew Stafford just authored an MVP season at 37 years old and looked stronger, sharper, and more commanding than he did during the Rams’ previous Super Bowl run. His 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes did not come from a quarterback surviving on reputation or system inflation. They came from a player operating with complete command of McVay’s offense while dismantling defenses at every level of the field. Stafford’s arm strength remained elite, his anticipation looked surgical, and his ability to manipulate defensive coverage with timing and placement elevated the Rams offense into one of the most difficult units in the league to defend. Most of all, if you gave him the ball with more than 10 to 20 seconds left, the opposing team usually lost, or almost lost. If Stafford puts in the work this offseason, I expect that level of play to continue or even expand upon last season’s performance.
What makes the constant speculation about his replacement so strange is that the organization’s actual behavior directly contradicts the narrative. The Rams did draft quarterback Ty Simpson, and national analysts immediately rushed to present the move as the symbolic beginning of the post-Stafford era. Internally, however, the Rams appear to view the situation entirely differently. Reports continue surfacing that the organization and Stafford are engaged in substantial extension discussions that could keep him in Los Angeles well beyond the 2026 season. Rather than signaling the end of his tenure, the Rams are positioning themselves to extend it.
That changes the entire context of the franchise’s offseason strategy. Teams preparing for transition do not aggressively pursue win-now roster additions. Teams preparing for transition do not continue exploring major veteran acquisitions on both sides of the football. Teams preparing for transition do not organize their salary structure around maximizing the remaining prime years of an MVP quarterback.
The Rams are clearly doing all three.
That urgency explains why the franchise has become directly connected to one of the biggest developing stories in football, the sudden availability of Stefon Diggs following his unexpected release by the New England Patriots. Diggs’ departure immediately altered the NFL free-agent landscape and reignited speculation that Los Angeles could emerge as the most logical destination for the veteran receiver.
The fit between Diggs and McVay’s offense is not difficult to understand, particularly when viewed beyond surface-level statistics. Diggs has long been regarded as one of the league’s most technically refined route runners, capable of creating separation through precision, leverage manipulation, and timing rather than relying solely on physical dominance. Those traits align naturally with the motion-heavy complexity of McVay’s offensive structure, which depends heavily on receivers understanding spacing, pre-snap adjustments, and route timing at an advanced level.
There is also an intriguing football-development connection that makes the possibility even more compelling. Diggs emerged from the Maryland football program, a system that has consistently produced receivers with advanced route discipline and spatial awareness, and, most of all, my alma mater. That type of technical polish translates particularly well into offenses requiring receivers to process adjustments quickly before the snap. McVay’s offense demands intelligence as much as athleticism, and Diggs has built his career around mastering the finer details of the position.
Adding Diggs to a receiving group already featuring Puka Nacua and Davante Adams would dramatically alter how opposing defenses approach the Rams offense. Nacua’s physicality underneath coverage zones already creates major matchup problems, while Adams remains one of the most complete route technicians in football. Introducing Diggs into that equation would force defenses into impossible balancing acts. Any attempt to overload coverage toward one receiver would leave another operating in favorable isolation. With Stafford distributing the football, the cumulative effect could produce one of the most dangerous passing attacks in the NFL.
The Rams’ interest in maximizing offensive firepower also reflects a broader philosophical difference between Los Angeles and organizations like New England. The Patriots reportedly grew uncomfortable with Diggs’ financial structure and long-term cap implications. The Rams, by contrast, continue operating according to a far more aggressive model built around maximizing championship opportunities while Stafford remains at the peak of his career. Les Snead has repeatedly shown a willingness to absorb short-term roster risk when he believes the reward significantly elevates the team’s title chances. That scenario would be far stronger than selecting Makai Lemon out of college with the No. 13 pick, a player the Rams ultimately did not draft, even though he was available to them.
That same mindset is shaping the Rams’ defensive thinking as well.
Even after building one of the league’s most promising young defensive fronts, there remains a growing sense that the organization is still searching for one more impact edge rusher capable of transforming the entire structure of the defense. For me, the comparison repeatedly circles back to the effect Von Miller had during the Rams’ championship season in 2021.
Miller’s impact extended well beyond individual production. His presence fundamentally changed offensive protection schemes and forced opposing coordinators into impossible decisions regarding double teams and blocking assignments. Aaron Donald immediately benefited because offenses could no longer dedicate every available resource toward neutralizing him. The ripple effect spread across the entire front seven.
The current Rams defensive front appears positioned similarly close to another leap. Jared Verse and Byron Young already provide exceptional effort, physicality, and pass-rushing power, but the addition of another explosive speed rusher could completely alter the geometry of the defense. One more elite edge presence would create cleaner matchups across the line while reducing the physical burden placed on the younger rotation pieces over the course of a long season. There were points this season when the defense completely devoured opposing offenses, but in many cases, it struggled to sustain that level of intensity and dominance throughout entire games.
That is why the Maxx Crosby rumors continue following the Rams despite the Raiders’ apparent reluctance to move him immediately. Las Vegas appears intent on waiting until the early portion of the season to reassess Crosby’s value following concerns surrounding his knee surgery and the collapsed trade discussions with Baltimore earlier this offseason. From the Raiders’ perspective, a healthy and productive start to the season would immediately restore Crosby’s market value and potentially create a bidding war among contenders.
From the Rams’ perspective, however, waiting presents its own risks.
Integrating a player like Crosby into the defense would require time, repetition, and familiarity with Chris Shula’s system. Acquiring him midseason may provide a late surge, but it would likely delay the full impact of the move until much deeper into the schedule. If the Rams genuinely believe they possess another championship-caliber roster around Stafford, delaying a major addition until October could prove counterproductive.
The emerging speculation surrounding Kayvon Thibodeaux offers another fascinating alternative. The Giants’ aggressive defensive rebuild and highly regarded draft class have created significant depth along their front seven, leading many league observers to believe Thibodeaux could eventually become expendable before New York commits major long-term money elsewhere on the roster. Unlike Crosby, Thibodeaux represents a younger and potentially more financially manageable option while still possessing the type of elite speed profile the Rams appear to covet.
His explosiveness off the edge would fit naturally alongside Verse and Young, giving Los Angeles a far more balanced and versatile pass-rushing rotation. More importantly, the reported asking price surrounding Thibodeaux appears considerably more realistic than the massive package Crosby would likely command if the Raiders fully reopened trade negotiations.
At the center of all these discussions remains the same fundamental truth, the Rams are behaving like an organization that should be fully aware that its championship opportunity is alive right now. The front office should understand that Stafford is still playing at an elite level. McVay should continue coaching with the urgency of someone who recognizes how difficult sustained contention can be in the modern NFL. Every major rumor connected to the franchise reflects a team attempting to capitalize on the present rather than protect itself against hypothetical future decline.
At the same time, I may have started two or three of those rumors myself, but anyway, the broader NFL world may continue debating timelines, succession plans, and eventual transitions, while inside the Rams organization the focus appears considerably more direct. The franchise believes it still has one of the best quarterbacks in football, one of the league’s premier offensive minds, and a roster close enough to contention that another aggressive move could push it directly back into the Super Bowl conversation.
The offseason moves, the trade speculation, the free-agent evaluations, and the contract discussions all point toward the same conclusion. The Rams are not cautiously managing the final stages of an aging roster. They are actively pursuing another championship while Matthew Stafford continues playing the best football of his career.