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More evidence of a near-miss between the Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason emerges

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kyle Crabbs | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 3:38 PM ET

The Aaron Rodgers watch has, mercifully, ended. The future Hall of Famer put pen to paper this past week in Pittsburgh, marking another late-career stop for Rodgers as he looks to write a legacy worth remembering outside of Green Bay. It wasn’t all that long ago that the Los Angeles Rams were mired in their own quarterback watch and as it turns out, these two stories may have been more intertwined this offseason than the original informed speculation indicated.

While it may feel like eons ago, it was just a few short months ago that the Rams and Matthew Stafford were engaged in their own contract standoff. The two sides, after some flirtation with the idea of a trade, came together to adjust Stafford’s deal and keep him with the Rams. That domino fell before Aaron Rodgers was on the market, but the understanding since the end of the regular season was that Rodgers would be shopping for a new home in 2025. And the moment Stafford and the Rams agreed to iron out their differences, Rodgers may have lost his preferred choice in a new home.

Now that Rodgers has signed in Pittsburgh, the focus has shifted to what the Steelers are paying him to play. It’s just short of $20 million for the year, including incentives — which is a fair deal for Pittsburgh but checks in at nearly twice what Rodgers was rumored to be willing to play for in the spring. NFL insider Albert Breer seems to think that’s because the Rodgers price point at $10 million was exclusively reserved for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams before they hashed out their new deal with Stafford.

For what it's worth, I'd heard the $10 million number, at the time, was sort of exclusive to the Rams. As in, an example of how badly he wanted to go there in March—"He's willing to go there for $10 million." https://t.co/b8qJIXWQHo
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 7, 2025

A To Z Sports’ Rob Gregson confirms the suggestion that Rodgers had eyes for the Rams when this process started in the winter.

Aaron Rodgers’ preferred destination was far from Pittsburgh. Sources told A to Z Sports that Rodgers badly wanted to play for the Rams given the team’s proximity to his California home and roots. Sources say that Los Angeles had contact with Rodgers and his agent, but told him they would let him know after everything was finalized with Matthew Stafford, who they obviously ended up keeping. So if Rodgers was going to take a mere $10 million total, the Rams certainly would have been the spot. - Rob Gregson, A To Z Sports

The temptation of one late-stage quarterback playing for potentially $10 million versus another who ultimately settled on a two-year, $84 million contract to stay in Los Angeles certainly could have been a part of the motivation the Rams had in exploring their trade options for Stafford. Stafford will be 37-years old this season, whereas Rodgers will turn 42 in December.

The idea of transitioning to Rodgers, picking up draft assets in the process, and paying a fraction of the cost would prompt at least some pause from any executive willing to consider all avenues of team building. There’s no reason to think Les Snead wouldn’t have at least weighed the idea, even if just for a moment. Such a blind leap as to what Rodgers still has in the tank, especially with a new team, would have been an incredibly bold and courageous move though. The Rams are close. And with Stafford, the offense and the staff have a rapport and chemistry that you can only gather through reps and time on task.

Perhaps a price could have been offered for Stafford via trade that would have made the move worth it. But, as we know, that offer never came. Instead, the Rams hammered out a fair market adjustment for Stafford to keep their veteran quarterback in place and chose to go full steam ahead with their current direction.

Rodgers, after several months of waiting, has finally landed on his feet. But it’s at least interesting to note that the Steelers didn’t get the discount rate that was reportedly available for McVay and the Rams. Make of it what you will.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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