Rams roster needs: Matthew Stafford’s contract complicating free-agency, draft strategies

After a season-ending loss in the snow, it did not take long for the Rams’ offseason to heat up.

Questions about quarterback Matthew Stafford’s future arose immediately. A few weeks later, receiver Cooper Kupp’s fate was apparently sealed.

Will both stars be gone? Will one or both be back?

General manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay must address other issues. But until Stafford’s and Kupp’s situations are resolved, real plans for free agency and the draft cannot move forward.

The NFL scouting combine begins Thursday in Indianapolis, free agency opens March 12 (preceded by the two-day negotiating period) and the draft will be held April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wis.

As was the case the previous four years, Snead and McVay are not scheduled to attend the combine, preferring instead to have staff review prospects’ game and combine video to augment workouts and interviews leading up to the draft.

Read more: Rams allowing Matthew Stafford’s reps to talk to teams about QB’s market value

On Friday, the Jacksonville Jaguars hired James Gladstone, the Rams director of scouting, as their new general manager. So how Gladstone’s departure affects the Rams’ draft remains to be seen.

After advancing to the NFC divisional round last season, the Rams have the No. 26 pick. They do not have a second-round pick, but have two in the third round, one in the fourth and three in the sixth. There is no guarantee that they will be awarded compensation picks for free agents lost after the 2023 season.

The Rams fared very well in last year’s draft, using the No. 19 pick to select edge rusher Jared Verse, trading up to take defensive tackle Braden Fiske in the second round and adding running back Blake Corum, safety Kamren Kinchens, defensive lineman Tyler Davis, kicker Joshua Karty, receiver Jordan Whittington and center Beaux Limmer in later rounds.

That followed a 2023 draft that produced receiver Puka Nacua, guard Steve Avila, nose tackle Kobie Turner and outside linebacker Byron Young.

Last week, the NFL announced that the salary cap would be between $277.5 million to $281 million per team, an increase of more than $22 million. The Rams currently have about $44.3 million in cap space, according to Overthecap.com.

Here are five questions facing the Rams as they prepare for free agency and the draft:

Will Matthew Stafford be back for a fifth season?

Stafford is 37, and indicated after the playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that he still had good football left.

How much, and for how long, the Rams are willing to pay for it is another story.

Stafford is due to earn an undermarket $30 million in salary and bonuses — with $4 million guaranteed — on a salary-cap number of $49.7 million, according to overthecap.com. Last year, a contract impasse between the Rams and Stafford lasted until the first day of training camp, and ended only when the Rams agreed to push $5 million forward from 2025.

The Rams have given Stafford and his representatives permission to speak with other teams about potential contract terms should the Rams trade the 16-year veteran. Those parameters differ from giving Stafford permission to seek a trade.

Read more: Plaschke: Rams need to keep Matthew Stafford and forget about Aaron Rodgers

If Stafford wants a new multiyear deal — he has two years left on the extension he signed in 2022 — the Rams will almost certainly pass on bringing back the player that led them to a Super Bowl title and two other playoff appearances.

Trading Stafford would at least net the Rams some draft capital.

But if it is simply coming to another mutually agreed upon adjustment, the Rams can put off for another year addressing who will be Stafford’s eventual successor.

Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, the Rams’ back-up last season, is a pending free agent and would be regarded as a bridge to the long-term solution. Sam Darnold is among the pending free-agent quarterbacks and Aaron Rodgers also will be available.

Last year, Stafford’s contract impasse with the Rams did not come to light until the first night of the draft. It was not settled until all other Rams players reported for training camp.

The timeline is different this time around.

If Cooper Kupp leaves, who is the No. 2 receiver?

On Feb. 3, Kupp announced on social media that the Rams had informed him they would trade him, a decision he wrote he did not agree with.

If the Rams follow through, Snead will aim to sign a free agent or draft a receiver to complement Nacua.

Rams receivers Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell are pending free agents. Whittington showed potential as a rookie.

The Rams last foray into the free-agent receiver market did not go well. Remember Allen Robinson’s short tenure?

Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins are among pending free agents.

And Snead and his staff have shown a knack for finding star receivers in the middle of the draft. Kupp was a third-round pick in 2017, Nacua a fifth-round pick in 2023.

What’s happening at left tackle?

Last year, the Rams invested heavily in the interior line, re-signing Kevin Dotson and signing free agent Jonah Williams.

Now they must address the tackle spots.

Left tackle Alaric Jackson, who signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2021, can finally test the market as an unrestricted free agent.

Jackson was suspended for the first two games last season for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy. And though he played well, the Rams do not appear inclined to make a massive investment in him.

Swing tackle Joe Noteboom also is a free agent.

Read more: Kyren Williams happy to hear Rams are making his contract a priority

With right tackle Rob Havenstein on the far end of his career, the Rams appear poised to make tackle a top priority in the draft.

Ronnie Stanley, Cam Robinson and Tyron Smith are among the pending NFL free agents.

Will Campbell of Louisiana State, Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas, Josh Simmons of Ohio State, Armand Membou of Missouri and Josh Conerly Jr. of Oregon are among the top prospects.

Will the Rams target a cornerback?

Darious Williams will be 32 next season, and he is due to earn $8 million in salary and bonuses, according to overthecap.com. Veteran Ahkello Witherspoon, who played on a one-year veteran minimum contract for the second season in a row, is a pending free agent. Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick are entering the final year of their rookie contracts.

The Rams signed Emmanuel Forbes Jr, a former first-round pick by the Washington Commanders, late in the season so it remains to be seen if he can revive his career with a large role.

D.J. Reed, Chavarius Ward, Rasul Douglas and Byron Murphy Jr. are among the top pending free-agent cornerbacks.

Travis Hunter of Colorado, Will Johnson of Michigan and Shavon Revel Jr. of East Carolina are among the prospects, according to several evaluation sites.

Can the Rams win a Super Bowl with undrafted free-agent inside linebackers?

The Rams financial philosophy regarding inside linebackers is clear: They don’t pay a premium.

Last season, Omar Speights was the latest undrafted free agent to ascend into the starting lineup. He joined Christian Rozeboom, a pending free agent who also began his Rams career as an undrafted player.

Veteran Michael Hoecht, an outside linebacker who occasionally lined up inside, also is a free agent.

Dre Greenlaw, Nick Bolton, Zack Baun and former Ram Ernest Jones IV are among the pending free agents.

Jihaad Campbell of Alabama, Demetrius Knight Jr. of South Carolina and Carson Schwesinger of UCLA are among the top prospects.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.