The Los Angeles Rams continue to impress with their resilience. Folks have been trying to proclaim the Sean McVay era dead for a while, but the Rams keep on sticking around despite an old roster and significant financial restrictions. Now life is getting a bit easier for the front office, and Matthew Stafford is still around the lead the offense.
Stafford was a constant in trade rumors this offseason, with the Giants and Raiders emerging as serious suitors. But in the end, he hammered out a two-year, $84 million contract with $80 million guaranteed. He should finish out an illustrious career in Los Angeles as a result.
At 37 years old, Stafford was still the most sought-after quarterback on the market. It's clear he has tremendous respect in league circles. In fact, so much so that Stafford is the sixth-ranked quarterback in ESPN's poll of league execs, coaches and scouts. Only Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels ranked higher.
That is extreme praise. A credit to all Stafford has done and continues to do. It also feels like a slight overestimation of his current abilities.
NFL execs and coaches go overboard with Matthew Stafford ranking
When asked why Stafford is still ranked so high after 16 NFL seasons, here's what an anonymous coordinator told ESPN:
"Cause he's tough as s---. Elite poise and toughness in the pocket. The ability to throw with timing and location while he's about to get hit in the chin is among the best."
Jeremy Fowler calls him "a truly scheme-transcendent quarterback," noting Stafford's unique ability to command the position and tie disparate pieces together within the offense. And this is all fair and well-earned praise: Stafford has one of the highest football IQs in modern NFL history. He processes the field at warp speed, and has ability to think one step ahead of the defense and deliver dimes only a handful of his peers would even think to make. Stafford can change arm slots under pressure, take hits like a champ and still deliver the sort of bombs usually reserved for quarterbacks a decade younger than him.
And yet, age catches up to us all eventually. Stafford is no longer the 5,000-yard quarterback who garners MVP consideration and leads the NFL in pass attempts. He threw for 3,762 yards in 16 starts last season, completing 65.8 percent of his passes and averaging 235.1 yards per game — the second-lowest mark of his career.
Los Angeles still won 10 games and took the NFC West crown by a hair, but Stafford's command of the offense has become a more cerebral force. He's a mile ahead of the competition mentally, but he can't quite exploit the advantages his brain creates as well as he used to. He makes a lot of tough throws, but not all the tough throws. He's tough in the face of a collapsing pocket, but Stafford's ability to move around and avoid a sack isn't what it once was. Of course it's not.
So, is the Rams gunslinger really the sixth-best quarterback in the NFL? Better than Jared Goff, who led the best offense in the NFL last season? Or the notoriously talented Justin Herbert, who does everything except win in the playoffs? Or Baker Mayfield, who threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns in a revelatory season for Tampa Bay? It's hard to answer with an unequivocal "yes" to any of those questions.
That doesn't mean it's not true, but it sure does feel like Stafford is benefitting immensely from years of built-up perception, rather than his actual output on the field last season. We shall see if he can deliver for the Rams before his new contract — and presumably, his career — runs out.