The Rams need to capitalize on this playoff run as it could be one of the last with this core of players
For a second consecutive season, the Los Angeles Rams are in the playoffs. Much like in 2023, the road to get there was bumpy at times. The season has been nothing less than chaotic going back to training camp. They battled back from a multitude of injuries and 1-4 to make the postseason. Given that this run came in a post-Aaron Donald world, an argument can be made that the turnaround from 1-4 this year was more impressive than the one last year from 3-6.
At the same time, however, this is exactly where this Rams team was supposed to be coming into the year. After re-tooling in 2023, the Rams did that so that they could spend and put more chips into the middle of the table. The end goal to capitalize on the final years of Matthew Stafford. The Rams reset their cap so that 2024 and 2025 could be years in which they try to win one more time with this group.
Again, that’s different than last year when the Rams were sort of the ‘happy go lucky, we’re just happy to be here’ team of the postseason. Nobody saw them in that position before the year and yet they exceeded expectations. As I wrote last season before the playoff game against the Detroit Lions,
“The underlying point here is that the results for this season don’t necessarily matter in the wider view of the long term goal which is 2024 and 2025. A win on Sunday would be more beneficial in the wider view to Matthew Stafford and his legacy than the team as a whole. This is a team currently ahead of schedule. They are playing with ‘house money’. Either way, this season was a success. The Rams found young pieces in the draft that they can utilize moving forward while pairing them with new star players.”
That’s a statement that I stand by a full year later. While winning last year against the Lions would have been nice, it wasn’t important in the big picture considering what that version of the Rams was supposed to be. This year, however, is different.
Nothing with this group moving forward is guaranteed. It’s very possible that this could be the final year of Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp playing together. Stafford’s contract will be a discussion point this offseason. Kupp’s level has fallen off over the second-half of the season. If Kupp is brought back, it will be at a lower cap number than the current $29.7 million.
That’s what makes this playoff run so important. When the Rams entered the 2023 offseason, general manager Les Snead talked about building around the team’s pillars. Those pillars were Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, and Matthew Stafford. It was thought at the time that the Rams could re-tool in 2023 and then make a more aggressive push in 2024 and 2025 before needing to potentially completely reset. That changed pretty quickly. Donald retired following last season and, again, both Kupp and Stafford’s future are uncertain. Those pillars are either gone or starting to deteriorate.
Still, the 2024 and 2025 seasons remain the focus. The contracts that they signed this offseason lined up with that. Jonah Jackson signed through 2026, but has no guaranteed money after 2024 with a very easy out after 2025. Colby Parkinson and Kam Curl only signed through 2025 as well. The Rams have set things up so that they can re-evaluate the direction that they want to go after 2025 and give themselves some flexibility.
This isn’t to say that the Rams don’t have a bright future or won’t win post-Stafford and Kupp. Whatever happens, this season will be seen as an overall success. Multiple things can be true.
Making another push with this group is important. There are not many opportunities left with Stafford under center. On his best day, he’s still a quarterback that can lead a team to a Super Bowl. On top of that, the Rams still have a bright future. The pillars moving forward will be Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, and player to be named later. That’s a top-5 wide receiver and one of the better young edge rushers in the NFL to build around.
At the end of the day, the Rams got what they wanted out of the Stafford trade. They won in 2021 with a Super Bowl ready team and that was the end goal. That also doesn’t mean that they don’t or shouldn’t want more. Making another run with this group after everything that they’ve gone through over the last two years would be special.
It’s very possible that this is the last or one of the last playoff runs with this current core that the Rams have built around. For Stafford and his legacy, he needs another deep playoff run to be listed among the greats and make a Hall of Fame case. The chances for him to do that are dwindling.
When the Rams went through their re-tool in 2023, they did so with 2024 and 2025 in mind. If that remains the case, this is likely one of the final opportunities for this core group of players. They need to be able to capitalize on it to maximize the opportunity. The last time that the Rams were the four seed in the NFC, they went on to win the Super Bowl. They will hope for that same magic this time around.