The Los Angeles Rams were able to convince Matthew Stafford to come back in 2025 after a turbulent offseason. In a saga that involved contract drama, Tom Brady and possibly a few black diamonds, the Rams were able to settle their quarterback situation and look forward to building a contending team around him.
While Stafford will remain in Los Angeles, his future is uncertain. The addition of Davante Adams should help him improve but at 37 years old, the cliff could come quickly for the potential Hall of Famer. With that, the Rams have an eye toward the future and may have revealed their lack of faith in Stafford with a conversation on Tuesday.
Rams GM Les Snead Speaks With Texas QB Arch Manning at Pro Day
Alex Dunlap of the Football With Friends YouTube show noted that Rams general manager Les Snead was spotted at Texas’s pro day. This is not anything out of the ordinary considering that quarterback Quin Ewers is one of the top signal-callers in this year’s draft. But the surprise came when Dunlap snapped a picture of Snead talking with Arch Manning.
Manning isn’t eligible for the draft until next season but the hype is already underway. The son of Cooper Manning, Arch’s recruitment was a major story in college football and he saw extended playing time with the Longhorns last season, completing 67.8% of his passes for nine touchdowns and two interceptions while running 25 times for 108 yards and four touchdowns.
The first reaction to this is that Snead getting a head start on scouting Manning. But the Rams Brothers podcast on YouTube noted that there are several Rams connections to the Texas program. Sean McVay is close friends with Steve Sarkisian and long-snapper Tate Haver is Snead’s stepson. The Rams also took former Texas receiver Jordan Whittington late in the 2024 draft and could be looking for more Longhorns in the draft next month.
Then again, he may have shown his true feelings for Stafford entering 2025. His 20 touchdowns were his fewest in a season where he didn’t have an injury since 2012. His 6.51 net yards per attempt were also the lowest since posting 5.92 yards in 2017. He finished with 200 or fewer passing yards in four of the Rams final five regular season games and may not have a lot of time left to win a Super Bowl.
If that happens, the Rams could get the high pick or be in a position to trade up in order to take Manning, who is projected to be the top quarterback in next year’s draft. It’s a situation that could be as harmless as a casual conversation. But there could be some early homework on Stafford’s successor.