Los Angeles Rams should ask Matthew Stafford to return to team

The mere thought of not having Matthew Stafford under center next year clearly wasn’t on the radar of Rams coach Sean McVay in the moments after his club lost to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game Sunday.

“What the hell kind of question is that?” McVay shot back when he was asked if he expected his quarterback to return next year.

McVay was sending the strongest of messages that he didn’t just expect the soon-to-be-38-year-old Stafford to return, he’s banking on it.

“I know that if he wants to, he’s still playing at a pretty damn good clip. I mean, he’s the MVP of the league, and if he’s not…you know, I mean, I got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level that’s just different.”

McVay better hope Stafford sees it the same way. Or be prepared to tap into every persuasion measure possible to convince Stafford to give the Rams at least one more season.

One that combines equal measures inducement and grace for a quarterback that has a family and some injuries to think about. 

To put it bluntly, everything the Rams built would come crumbling down without Stafford. Maybe not back to ground zero, exactly. They still have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. 

But everyone knows it starts and ends with the quarterback. 

If Stafford decided to walk off into the sunset, the Rams would have to pull off the crime of the century to even have a shot at finding a suitable replacement.

As in somehow hypnotizing the Ravens into committing to a reset and parting ways with Lamar Jackson.

Fat chance that happens.

The options are bleak beyond that pipe dream.

Their back up, Jimmy Garoppolo, never reached Stafford’s level even in his prime. And it’s been years since he was peak Jimmy G. The free agency class is filled with massive question marks and a bunch of journeymen in Malik Willis, Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones and Marcus Mariota.

Meanwhile, in an otherwise suspect quarterback draft class, only Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza looks like the real deal. And with the quarterback-starved Raiders holding the first pick overall, you might as well cross the Heisman Trophy winner off the list.

It’s Stafford or bust

With him, they go into next year as favorites to reach Super Bowl 61. Which, as it turns out, will be played on their home turf at SoFi Stadium.

Without him, they can kiss goodbye any chance of making another run at the conference championship game.

It sets up quite a dangerous high-wire act for the Rams, who have to be both compelling and understanding in whatever pitch they make to convince Stafford to stay.

And it might take a little while before they can start testing those waters, although time is something they don’t have in abundance right now.

Understandably, Stafford was not in the right head space to make a call one way or another in the moments after the gut-wrenching loss to the Seahawks. The emotions of what went down at Lumen Field, and the devastating sense of lost opportunity, were running too high to make post-game dinner reservations let alone decide the next chapter of his life. 

“I can’t generalize six months of my life 10 minutes after a loss,” Stafford said. “So I appreciate the guys in this locker room a whole hell of a lot. Everybody that helped me and helped our team be the success that we were this year. And that’s all I’ll answer for you.”

And so began an offseason of uncertainty for the Rams.

Stafford signed a 2-year, $80 million contract with the Rams last offseason, but it came with a caveat. It was basically two one-year deals, with the second installment of $40 million only guaranteed if Staffford is on the roster on March 15, or the fifth day of the new league.

Given the MVP-like regular-season Stafford just had by throwing for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns, it seems like a cinch he’ll return. In a most illustrious career, this might have been the best season of them all.

Plus, it’s hard to imagine Stafford letting Sunday’s brutal loss be his final act. Once his emotions subside, you have to assume he’ll take a serious look at the real chance he has to write the perfect ending next year.

The loaded Rams are nothing if not the perfect vessel to carry him to a storybook finish.

But it’s no longer just about the 17 chances he gets to take the field in the fall. Or even a real shot at closing his career with a Super Bowl win — the very opportunity the Seahawks stole from him Sunday.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

It’s the painstaking hours he commits to each off-season to get his arm, body and mind prepared for the regular season. It’s time he’ll never get back with his family, which includes his wife and four daughters.

That is on top of all the time he’s already sacrificed for them during his 17 NFL seasons.

And then there are the back issues he’s dealt with over the years., including the aggravated disc he played through this year that cost him nearly all of training camp and required significant management throughout the year.

All of which complicates what seems like an easy decision.

The Rams have a tightrope to walk. They need to make a convincing case for Stafford to come back, but with a level of care and compassion that doesn’t simultaneously push him out the door.