For now, the Rams are focused on milking the most of these years until Stafford retires.
That mentality was underscored when they traded their second first-round pick and three other picks for cornerback Trent McDuffie. They are much less likely to select the QB of the future early in the draft. Instead, Snead can use the No. 1 pick. 13 to fill holes on a solid roster, while he worries about the torch passing at some other time.
“I’m not naive about how rare it is,” coach Sean McVay said, echoing Snead’s thoughts about Stafford. “All those things weigh into it. I think he said that a lot. I think with the time Matthew missed last year, and it was such a cool reflection of his humility and how great and aware of a person Matthew is. It was tremendously valuable to have Jimmy (Garoppolo) take those reps. Where now, our defense that he’s going against and the 10 can still progress around him and still be able to reflect how we can move forward in around him. You should have someone you feel very comfortable with who can… whether Matthew is not able to go, he can look towards the future, but the way we want to approach it is so important to us to let Matthew be at his best.
With Garoppolo slated for free agency and possibly headed to a country where he could actually compete for playing time, the Rams need a backup. The good news is that as long as McVay is in the big chair, there should/must be veteran backs who want to work in LA – even though they know they wouldn’t start, barring injury. This is a place where a vet can go to improve their reputation and learn a thing or two from one of the best minds in the game.
Lombardis are at their peak. The Rams are right to prioritize chasing them now and worry about a transition plan later. After all, for all the respect the football world has for the Favre-Rodgers-Love transition, the Packers have won two Super Bowls since 1996. The Rams, far less consistently under center, have the same number of Lombardi Trophies in that span.