For much of the last two years, the Los Angeles Rams have had one foot in one timeline and one foot in another. The Rams have tried to do what they can to surround Matthew Stafford with a roster capable of winning the Super Bowl while also preserving their future for Ty Simpson. 

At Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Rams appeared to finally choose a path, and that was the one with Simpson.

It seems odd that a front office that has historically been so aggressive in the past could just sit content at the trade deadline the last two years. With Matthew Stafford playing at an MVP level in 2025 and an obvious need at cornerback, the Rams traded for Roger McCreary while Sauce Gardner went to the Indianapolis Colts. McCreary spent most of the season injured, was not brought back in free agency, and the Rams allowed 346 yards and three touchdowns to Sam Darnold in the NFC Championship Game. 

It’s true that the Rams traded picks and took an “all-in” approach by trading for Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett in the offseason. However, it can be argued that the move for McDuffie was six months too late. In those moves, the Rams gave up one first-round pick in 2026 and a second-round pick in 2027. 

Rams' Decision to Draft Ty Simpson Changed Everything

When the Rams drafted Ty Simpson with the 13th overall pick, they told everyone that they were starting to look ahead at life post-Stafford. That’s not to say that was the wrong choice. It has been widely reported that the Rams taking Simpson allowed them to take Myles Garrett. Despite remaining competitive under Sean McVay, the Rams still found itself with a top-15 pick.

During the draft, the Rams had two choices. They could take a wide receiver and continue pushing the quarterback decision down the line. Had the Rams done that, they likely would have faced a future similar to Minnesota's, relying on discarded veteran quarterbacks in hopes that the offense could elevate them. That could still happen, but with Simpson, the Rams at least have some control of the outcome.

However, that’s still a path they could have taken. The Rams could have given Stafford a wide receiver like Makai Lemon, KC Concepcion, or Omar Cooper Jr. Instead, they looked toward the future and drafted his eventual replacement. 

By taking Simpson, the Rams would be doing him a disservice by not taking the future into account. They can’t empty the cupboards or they risk setting Simpson up to fail. The result has been treating Stafford like a bridge quarterback instead of one that can win them the Super Bowl. 

The Rams’ actions over the last two years have basically said that they will support him in the best way they can, but they aren’t going to completely mortgage the future in the way that they might have back in 2021. They have given Stafford their 2027 resources, but don’t appear eager to mess with 2028, when they are set to have eight draft picks in addition to whatever comp picks they receive.

Look no further than how the Rams have structured their contracts. The 2028 season appears to be the 'reset'. The Rams have seven non-rookie contracts on the books in 2028 and have potential outs in all but one of them.

 It’s certainly fair to wonder if the Rams hadn’t won in 2021 if they would be as content with doing nothing as they are currently. 

Yes, the Rams acquired Garrett and McDuffie in the offseason, but they only used one pick in 2028 to do so. They acquired McDuffie for a top pick in 2026 and Garrett for a top pick in 2027. While the Rams could have dove into 2028 at the trade deadline, they opted not to. 

Matthew Stafford Deserved More Help at the Trade Deadline

In what was supposed to be an all-in year, the Rams seemed to wave the white flag rather than address an obvious need. With Konata Mumpfield and Tutu Atwell as the team’s top receivers, the Rams wouldn’t match two Day 3 picks for a player like Josh Downs. Even if Downs isn’t a WR1, he’s still an upgrade over every wide receiver on the roster and fills a need at punt returner. Instead, the Rams brought back Xavier Smith, who was cut after Week 3. 

This was always the risk the Rams took by drafting Simpson. It gave them a safety net to fall back on. The Rams can no longer risk the future because Simpson is the future. The front office now has another quarterback to consider when making decisions that could impact the franchise for years to come.

Matthew Stafford and Ty Simpson Present a Difficult Balancing Act

Many point to the Rams following the approach of the Green Bay Packers with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love. In both cases, the Packers didn’t win a Super Bowl with both quarterbacks on the roster. In the end, it resulted in an ugly and awkward breakup. 

The Packers made it to the playoffs one time with both Favre and Rodgers on the roster. After making back-to-back NFC Championship Games, the Packers lost in the divisional round the year they took Love before going 8-9 in Rodgers’ final year.

When a team starts to look ahead at the quarterback position, it rarely works out well. It almost always ends in an ugly breakup and the decision looks worse if that quarterback fails. Look at the Vikings and how they handled Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy. Tom Brady is the exception. 

As John Madden said, “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.” The Rams don’t necessarily have a quarterback competition creating tension between Stafford and Simpson. However, it has arguably created tension between the coaching staff, front office, and the quarterback. It’s hard to build a roster around two quarterbacks in two different timelines. 

The Rams don’t know how many more swings they are going to get with Stafford and instead of giving him more help, they’ve preserved the future. When they drafted Simpson, McVay didn’t necessarily look pleased during the press conference. As a class act, Stafford hasn’t been publicly upset with the Simpson pick, but it has to be hard for him to look at the current wide receiver situation and be a little bit frustrated. 

There’s nothing wrong with the Rams’ decision to prepare for life after Stafford, but it was always going to be impossible to live in two separate timelines. That preparation for the future has come at the expense of the present. The Rams standing pat at the trade deadline told everyone what they needed to know. 

They may eventually be rewarded if Simpson develops into a franchise quarterback. However, if Stafford's time with the Rams ends without another Super Bowl appearance, it will be hard not to wonder whether they sacrificed their best opportunity to win for a future that was never guaranteed.