The Rams have a year-to-year arrangement with quarterback Matthew Stafford. Which means that any year could be the last year for the quarterback who arrived in 2021.
It also means that, in any year, the Rams could draft Stafford’s eventual successor.
During Tuesday’s pre-draft press conference, G.M. Les Snead addressed the possibility of adding a quarterback from the incoming ranks of rookies.
“I don’t think I could truly answer that honestly so I’ll keep that internal, how we view it,” Snead told reporters. “The only thing I can add or any insight would be when you prepare for a draft, however many other positions there are and it can get pretty micro and nuanced. . . . If you’re going to get down and go down the quarterback path, that’s an entirely different bucket based on all the requirements it takes to play QB in this league at a successful rate.”
If they opt to pick a quarterback, they’ll be sure to let Stafford know about it.
“I think there have been a lot of instances where you never regret overcommunicating and creating clarity for people as opposed to why,” coach Sean McVay said. “When we drafted Stetson Bennett a couple of years ago, I made sure to communicate with [Stafford] beforehand. You want to be as inclusive as you can, especially to players who are in his position. That would be something that we would do, just like we did when we drafted Stetson a couple of years ago.”
Not every team extends that courtesy to the incumbent. Most notably, the Packers didn’t let Aaron Rodgers know they’d be taking his eventual replacement, Jordan Love, in round one. Last year, the Falcons caught Kirk Cousins (and everyone else) flatfooted when they drafted Michael Penix Jr.
So we’ll see. As will everyone one. But if anyone gets advance notice, it’ll be Stafford.
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