Mike Tannenbaum pitches Aaron Rodgers as QB replacement if Matthew Stafford leaves Rams

The Los Angeles Rams may be preparing to go through a transition at quarterback after giving Matthew Stafford permission to seek a trade. That has, since, led to clear interest in the Super Bowl champion, with several teams seemingly interested in his services.

This comes in an offseason where several big-name quarterbacks could be on the move. Along with Stafford, future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers is now also looking for a new team after making his exit from the New York Jets.

While Stafford’s exit from Los Angeles isn’t set in stone, it is possible. If he were to leave, former NFL GM and current analyst Mike Tannenbaum sees Rodgers as a smart replacement for him in the short term, as he explained on Get Up.

“Aaron Rodgers,” Tannenbaum said. “Greeny, if you really look at it last year, he played pretty well. (He had) 3,800 yards, 28 touchdowns, only 11 interceptions. He’ll be 42 in December. Not ideal, but what a great band-aid for the Rams in terms of a ‘we’re in a win now, mode.’ Buy some time to draft his replacement. So, not ideal but Aaron Rodgers would be a great one-year band-aid in LA.”

Rodgers won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 season. He’s also been an MVP in the NFL four times, including as recently as 2021. However, his two seasons in New York were difficult, tearing his Achilles in his first game and leading the team to a mediocre 5-12 record. Still, his numbers were solid on the surface, finishing eighth among NFL quarterbacks in passing yards and seventh in touchdown passes. However, his passer rating was 21st and his QBR was 31st.

Going to Los Angeles does seem like a potentially enticing option for Rodgers himself. NFL insider Adam Schefter recently broke down how the Rams are a place he may look to extend his career.

“With Aaron, I think we start with the fact that you have to see where Matthew [Stafford is] gonna go. Is Matthew going back to LA, or is he not going to LA, because if he’s not going to LA, I’m sure that LA appeals to Aaron Rodgers. That would be my guess. You would know probably better than I,” Schefter said.

“But I believe that Aaron wants to play. I believe he wants to play at least another year. I believe he’s got a chip on his shoulder. He wants to come back and play this upcoming season and show people that he still has the juice and still can get it done. So I think he’s gonna play.”

Despite that, Schefter also recently made it clear that it’s not set in stone that Stafford would leave Los Angeles.

“I think that he should be happy with them. They should be happy with him,” Schefter said. “There are issues that both sides have been working through. I think in this particular case, he’s on a contract where he’s scheduled to make $27M, no guaranteed money. You have to adjust the contract. So, now you’ve given the agent permission to go out and see what other teams would be willing to offer, and you probably find that other teams are willing to offer more. It comes down to what Matthew Stafford wants to do.”

For the time being, whether or not the Rams job opens up is going to come down to Stafford. However, if he does move on, Rodgers is bound to be one of the quarterbacks that the Rams look into moving forward.