Sarah BarshopApr 3, 2026, 06:00 AM ET

CloseSarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated.

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PHOENIX — As Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay answered questions during the NFC coach’s breakfast at the NFL’s annual meetings on Monday morning, he was asked whether he ever thinks about life after quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“I don’t think about that ever,” McVay joked.

The head coach then said the Rams think about life without Stafford in the “short and long term.” McVay said Stafford has earned the right to think about his playing career on a year-to-year basis, but said, “if he told me that he wanted to play a couple more years, I’d believe him.”

McVay said the team is focused on balancing the dynamic of “surrounding [Stafford] with the right kinds of players” while also making sure they have a contingency plan moving forward.

“I do think that he’s in a situation where it wouldn’t shock me if he played more than one year, but we also have to be prepared that if this is the last year, what does that look like as well?” McVay said.

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The Rams would love to have backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo return to Los Angeles, but McVay said it’s “less likely than likely” that he will return. McVay brought up another possibility in quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins, who spent the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, was released in March.

However, Cousins agreed to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday.

The backup quarterback role is especially important in Los Angeles because of the number of reps the No. 2 quarterback will likely take during the offseason program and training camp. The 38-year-old Stafford missed most of training camp while dealing with a back injury and while the Rams hope that is not the case in 2026, it seems likely they will take a modified approach with the number of throws he takes leading up to the season.

Last offseason and training camp, it was Garoppolo taking those reps — a role McVay has called critical for getting the team ready for the start of the season when Stafford was injured.

The Rams also have Stetson Bennett IV on the roster, but it would be surprising if he served as the team’s No. 2 quarterback in 2026.

Here are some other quick hits from the league meetings:

1. When asked about how the Rams might use pick No. 13 in the draft, general manager Les Snead said the most “realistic” scenario is that the Rams stay put or move back. Snead said it’s less likely the Rams move up or trade it away for a veteran player, like they did when they sent pick No. 29 as part of the package to acquire cornerback Trent McDuffie.

“I think, if I were being realistic, more than likely we don’t move up, because the price point to move up,” Snead said. “… And then I would say also, I doubt we use that for a veteran player. We’ve kind of saved that pick because it is 13. We hadn’t picked this low, high, whatever you want to call it, in a while.”

2. The Rams have a strong 2023 draft class, with wide receiver Puka Nacua, outside linebacker Byron Young, defensive end Kobie Turner and guard Steve Avila among those now eligible for contract extensions. But the Rams are currently trying to find the balance between spending available money now to help the 2026 roster and spending that money to prepare for the future.

“I think that one of the delicate balances that you’re looking at right now, and I think this is what we’re trying to weigh, is what do you spend if you amassed a little bit of a cushion this year, a war chest to go spend it, do you spend it on ’26 and how you can get better in acquiring more players?” Rams team president Kevin Demoff said. “Or do you spend it on these extensions which help you in the future?”

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Entering the offseason, Nacua seemed to be the player the Rams would most likely try to sign to an extension. But last month, a woman in Los Angeles filed a civil lawsuit against Nacua alleging he made an “unprovoked antisemitic statement” and later bit her on the shoulder.

Nacua has since checked into rehab, his attorney, Levi McCathern, told The California Post on Wednesday.

McVay said the Rams are “continuing to gather all the information,” but said he “trust[s] this kid’s heart.”

Last month, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba agreed to an extension that made him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history. As the Rams have those discussions with Nacua, McVay said the receiver understands the responsibility in how he needs to represent the organization.

“We are hopeful that he’s a Ram for a really long time, but he understands what the responsibility is, not exclusive to just the production on the field,” McVay said.

3. McVay said the Rams did consider trading wide receiver Davante Adams this offseason, but ultimately said he didn’t think it would make the team better. Snead pointed to the success that Stafford and Adams had in the red zone last season.

“That was a big discussion,” Snead said. “If we were going to move on from that, touchdowns are important and there’s no necessarily guarantee that we can replace it.”

4. When asked whether there’s been progress on working out a new deal with Stafford, McVay said, “Yeah, we’ve had a lot of good discussions and dialogue.” The Rams have reworked Stafford’s contract the past two offseasons.

“Does that look like, hey, are we just going to keep that kind of year in place?” McVay said. “Do we do anything additional or do you want to really put two years in place? So he’s working through that, but it’s been a lot smoother than last year, to say the least.”