Could Rams pursue Stafford as Goff replacement?

Could the Rams pull off a trade for Matthew Stafford? Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Could Rams pursue Matthew Stafford as Jared Goff replacement?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 1/29/21

Wantaway Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has been linked with the San Francisco 49ers in trade rumors, but a different NFC West team could make a play for the veteran who turns 33 years old next month.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler tweeted on Friday that Stafford views the Los Angeles Rams as a legitimate contender to trade for his services:

Sources: Matthew Stafford considers the Rams a viable contender in his trade market with the Lions. While it’s unclear what the Rams can do with Jared Goff’s long-term deal on the books, they’ve explored the possibilities with Stafford.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 29, 2021

Rams head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead both stopped short of committing the team's future to current starter Jared Goff this month. Earlier this week, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that McVay intends to hold an open competition between Goff and former Alliance of American Football quarterback John Wolford next summer.

Wolford filled in while Goff was injured late in the 2020 regular season and during the playoffs.

McVay and Snead parting ways with Goff during the upcoming offseason might be easier said than done. Los Angeles would face a salary-cap charge of $22.2 million upon trading Goff following the Super Bowl, and Fowler's tweet suggests the Rams have no solution for that issue.

"Moving on from Jared Goff, that's ... the money we've invested in him, that's not easy to overcome," Snead recently admitted.

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