If Stafford retires, would you trade another down year for Caleb Williams?

The 2022-2023 season has been nothing short of a nightmare for the Los Angeles Rams, as everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the defending Super Bowl champions. Injuries have occurred all over the roster, resulting in the worst Sean McVay-led Rams team by a country mile.

One of those big-time injuries that L.A. has had to deal with is to their star quarterback Matthew Stafford, as the seasoned veteran is dealing with what has been called a “spinal cord contusion”. Stafford’s wife Kelly has been very vocal about how she feels about the health of her husband, and understandably so, as something as serious as a spinal cord injury is not to be taken lightly.

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With that being considered, there is a real possibility that Matthew Stafford could hang up the cleats following this season, leaving the Rams without the quarterback that led them to a Super Bowl victory.

Now, if Stafford does decide to retire, what would the plan be in Los Angeles? Baker Mayfield had a nice debut for the squad, but is he the quarterback of the future? It’s awfully optimistic and, with the team lacking a first round pick this upcoming draft, the Rams most likely will not draft their future starting QB in the 2023 draft. L.A. will not have a first round pick until the 2024 draft, which could be the first time the Rams have made a selection in the opening round of the draft since 2016.

While the Rams more than likely won’t find their future quarterback through this upcoming draft, there is a man already playing in L.A. that I am sure coaches and GMs in the NFL are salivating over. USC sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off a Heisman campaign, displaying unbelievable traits and skills that are only comparable to perhaps the best QB in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes.

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Williams will, barring any sort of crazy injuries/setbacks, be the number one overall selection in 2024, which just so happens to be when the Rams will have a first round pick. Caleb Williams has been touted as a “generational talent” by former Saints head coach Sean Payton, and Payton believes NFL teams will tank their seasons in order to have the opportunity to select Williams.

The question is, if Matthew Stafford retires, should the Rams tank their 2023-2024 season in order to grab Caleb Williams? The answer is very simple, YES YES YES.

While tanking in the NFL is not as obvious as a league like the NBA, teams can certainly make moves/decisions that will lead to losing football. Should Stafford leave the team, the Rams should not hesitate to field calls for some of their big money talent and, with the right offers, send away said talent for more draft capital.

Players of the sheer talent and skill level of Caleb Williams only come around so much, especially at the quarterback position, so L.A. should give this a real consideration if they lose their star QB in the off-season. Seeing the impact that Patrick Mahomes, who Caleb Williams’ game emulates, on his team should be enough to take another rough season for the potential to have a game-changing player for 15+ years.

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What do you folks think, if Matthew Stafford hangs it up in the off-season, would you trade another tough season if it meant the Rams would draft Caleb Williams in 2024?