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Could the Rams consider trading for a quarterback who can learn behind Stafford for a year?
Even with Matthew Stafford returning for his 18th season in 2026, the Los Angeles Rams could be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. Jimmy Garoppolo is a pending free agent and Stetson Bennett hasn’t become more than the QB3 in Los Angeles.
If Stafford retires after next season, the Rams have no clear succession plan. It’s possible they’ll just wait until Stafford does retire to address the quarterback position, but if they want to be proactive, there will be options this year.
The draft is an obvious avenue to finding Stafford’s heir. They could also sign someone like Malik Willis in free agency. Another possibility? Trading for a young backup who could develop into a future starter in Los Angeles.
Here are three possible targets for the Rams if they explore the trade market.
Anthony Richardson, Colts
Daniel Jones is a pending free agent but it sounds like the Colts will want to retain him with a new contract. Assuming that happens, there’s no clear path to playing time for Richardson anytime soon.
The 2023 first-round pick has played just 17 games (15 starts) in three seasons, throwing 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Injuries have been a major problem for the dual-threat quarterback, making him a tough player to count on. His accuracy is below-average, too, completing 50.6% of his passes.
So why would the Rams want to trade for him? Upside and development, that’s why. If Sean McVay feels he can develop Richardson and turn him into a better passer, it’s worth a shot. He was the fourth overall pick in 2023 and it’s his ceiling, not his floor, that got him drafted that high.
Maybe McVay and his coaching staff can tap into Richardson’s potential by letting him sit and learn behind Stafford for a year. Richardson would then become a free agent in 2027, allowing the Rams to decide whether they want to commit to him for another year.
His salary in 2026 is only $1.1 million so he’d be cheap financially, but what would the cost to acquire him be? Given his lack of experience and overall success in three years, he probably wouldn’t warrant more than a mid-round pick.
If the Rams were to make that trade and develop Richardson into a franchise quarterback, it’d be a massive win. That’s a big “if,” though.
Spencer Rattler, Saints
Ignore the fact that Rattler is 1-13 as a starting quarterback with 12 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. He hasn’t had much success since entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick by the Saints, but it might still be too early to write him off.
He’s played on some bad Saints teams with little help around him on offense. He’s not someone who can carry a team but as a potential developmental project, the Rams would be a good match for Rattler.
At the NFL combine in 2024, Rattler said he tries to emulate Stafford, throwing from all different arm angles and with anticipation. In 2022, Rattler said South Carolina’s scheme was similar to the Rams’, and he watched a lot of Stafford’s tape.
“It’s really like the same offense as the Rams,” he said, via 247 Sports. “That’s a lot of the tape we watch. What they’re doing, we’re doing. You definitely have your shots down the field but it’s just a good offense. It’s a balanced offense. We do a lot of good things, so I’m excited to fully learn all of it. I’ve learned dang near all of it already, but we got a lot more install to go throughout the summer, so I’m just gonna soak it all in and prepare the best as I can.”
It’d be tough to bet a lot on Rattler as a franchise quarterback but considering he was a fifth-round pick two years ago, there’s no chance it’ll take more than that to acquire him in a trade. And his contract is extremely cheap as a former Day 3 pick.
The question is whether the Rams would rather take a chance on him or use one of their own Day 3 picks on a quarterback in this year’s class, gaining two extra years of control.
Will Levis, Titans
Levis won’t be anything more than a backup in Tennessee after the Titans drafted Cam Ward first overall last year. He didn’t see the field at all in 2025 after undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury in July, sidelining him for the entire season.
He’s now entering the final year of his rookie deal, which means he’ll be a free agent in 2027. That makes him an intriguing trade target, and a fairly cheap one, at that.
In his 21 games as a starter for the Titans, he threw 21 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. He had some stunningly bad turnovers but also showed a combination of arm talent and mobility that makes him someone worth considering.
He’ll be 27 in June and is young enough to still develop into a future starter, especially under the tutelage of McVay and Stafford. As a former second-round pick, he shouldn’t cost more than a Day 3 pick to acquire.
Levis’ salary is just $1.1 million in 2026, too. That’s pennies for a team like the Rams. And like Richardson, if it doesn’t work out after a year, the Rams can simply move on and let him hit free agency, potentially even netting a compensatory pick in the following draft.