As the Los Angeles Rams prepare for Week 1, the status of Matthew Stafford has been a huge storyline. He missed all of the preseason due to a bank injury that he has been dealing with. There were legitimate concerns about his status for the season opener.
Stafford, when healthy, is still one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Unfortunately, he is not getting any younger and there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about how much longer he’ll be able to play.
With that in mind, it would not be shocking to see the Rams look to bring in a long-term option to replace Stafford next offseason.
That brings up the question, who could Los Angeles look at to be that guy?
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Fox Sports has released a new 2026 mock draft. In that mock draft, they had the Rams selecting Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with the No. 12 overall pick.
“Allar will face a lot of pressure in what will be his last season in Happy Valley, but this is a situation that would be perfect for him,” they wrote. “Matthew Stafford is 37 years old and just signed a two-year contract for $84M earlier this year, meaning he’ll likely play into the 2027 season with that sort of financial commitment. Allar has the tools to be a starting NFL quarterback, but has yet to prove he’s a game-changer. Two years behind Stafford could help fix that, similar to how Jordan Love developed by observing Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.”
Allar has looked the part of a future NFL quarterback during his college career with the Nittany Lions. He was a breakout star over the last two seasons.
During the 2024 college football season at Penn State, Allar completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. In Week 1 of the 2025 season, he threw for 217 yards and a touchdown while completing 22 of his 26 pass attempts.
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If Stafford is able to get back to full health and stay healthy, Allar could sit behind him. That would be an ideal scenario for both Los Angeles and Allar.
All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the 2025 season has in store for Stafford. Regardless, it seems very likely that the Rams will take a long look at bringing in a long-term quarterback option next offseason and Allar could be a name to watch.
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