With Aaron Rodgers on his way out of New York, it appears he's already decided where he wants to play in 2025. The veteran's preference is to play for the Los Angeles Rams, according to the New York Daily News. Yet for that to happen, the Rams would have to move on from Matthew Stafford.
As it turns out, getting rid of Stafford is something that the Rams might actually do this offseason. The 37-year-old quarterback has been given permission to speak with other teams so that he can gauge what his value might be on the open market and it's a move that could open the door for Stafford to leave L.A. Multiple teams are reportedly already interested in Stafford, including the Steelers, Giants and Raiders.
If the Rams do deal Stafford away, that would instantly put them in the market for a quarterback and that's where Rodgers would potentially come in. The upside for the Rams is that not only is Rodgers interested in playing for them, but he wants to bring Davante Adams with him.
From Rodgers' standpoint, it's easy to see why he would be interested in signing with the Rams:
- Rodgers' good buddy just got hired as an assistant coach in L.A. Alex Van Pelt was the QB coach in Green Bay for four seasons (2014-17) and during that time together, he worked closely with Rodgers. Van Pelt is now with the Rams after getting hired as a senior offensive assistant on Monday. The fact that Van Pelt and Rodgers are friends would be one of the arguments for signing Rodgers if the Rams end up considering it.
- Rodgers lives in Southern California. The four-time MVP has a home in Malibu, and at 41, he probably doesn't want to keep moving. He's already moved from Green Bay to New York and now that he's leaving the Jets, he's going to have to move again unless he ends up with the Rams, since he already has a house in the area.
- Rodgers wants to play for a contender. Rodgers has been laying low over the past few weeks, but he did do a brief interview with TMZ last week. During the interview, Rodgers said he wanted to play for a contender and a team that wants him.
The Rams are coming off a season where they won the NFC West and where they came just 13 yards away from beating the Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs, so they're definitely a contender. However, it's not clear if they would actually want to sign Rodgers. The Rams have generally been trying to get younger at nearly every position so going from a 37-year-old quarterback in Stafford to a 41-year-old in Rodgers might not make much sense.
One issue with Stafford is that he's reportedly looking for a new deal that would pay him roughly $50 million per year. If Rodgers is willing to sign for something well below that number, that could make him an attractive candidate to the Rams.
The Rams might also be intrigued by the idea that bringing in Rodgers would also lure Adams to Los Angeles. Although Adams is still under contract with the Jets, they'd clear $29.88 million in cap space by releasing him, so it wouldn't be surprising at all if they decide to cut him before the start of free agency.
If Rodgers signs with the Rams and gets to play in an offense that includes Adams, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams, that could be exactly what he needs to make one last Super Bowl run.
