Andrew Buller-Russ
The Los Angeles Rams have been hunting for a potential quarterback who can take over seamlessly once Matthew Stafford rides off into the sunset. While he’s now 38 years old, he’s also coming off his first MVP season. He doesn’t appear ready to slow down or retire any time soon, even if he’s one of the NFL’s oldest players.
Still, Sean McVay understands the importance of having a strong depth chart at the QB position. If Stafford misses time, the Rams would be suffering a big absence, and Jimmy Garoppolo, their backup since 2024, is a free agent.
On Sunday, coach McVay addressed his QB room, which for now consists only of Stafford and 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett. When asked what the plans are, McVay admitted that talk of his past connections with free agent QB Kirk Cousins are valid, and that he’d “love” to reunite with him in L.A. Yet, McVay would also be open to re-signing Garoppolo too.
“People make some of the connections with Kirk,” McVay said. “If it doesn’t work out with Jimmy, that’s definitely something that — Kirk is as influential as anybody in helping me get to L.A. in the first place. I know he’s got some other options and some other suitors, but Jimmy and Kirk are guys that I’d love to have back with us.”
McVay and Cousins overlapped for five seasons with the Commanders from 2012 to 2016, which included Cousins’ first Pro Bowl season in 2015. Yet, now he’s looking for another place to play, and the Rams need a high-level backup who can get the job done. In the end, the Rams and Cousins may be a perfect fit, especially considering he’d have a much shorter learning curve when it comes to mastering an offense he already knows most of the verbiage for.
Related: 2026 NFL Mock Draft: End of March Edition
