The Los Angeles Rams‘ season came to an end Sunday in a 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, putting an unsatisfying end to what was otherwise an outstanding season. After hardly practicing ahead of the season amid back issues, Matthew Stafford played at an MVP level, leading the highest-scoring offense in the NFL. The defense, led by rising star coordinator Chris Shula had a deep, talented pass rush and forced 26 turnovers, fifth-most in the NFL.
It wasn’t quite enough. The Rams’ linebackers and secondary, a combination of low-cost veteran acquisitions and in-house development projects, struggled in Seattle, a special teams blunder proved costly, and the offense came up just short in the red zone late.
The Rams the Super Bowl in Stafford’s first season in Los Angeles, the dream pairing between him and Sean McVay working wonders. After a down 2022, they’ve been in the playoffs each of the last three seasons, and they’ve been desperately close in all three season-ending losses. The Stafford-McVay combination remains outstanding, especially with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams on the outside and one of the league’s top running games to boot.
Still, McVay acknowledged that just because the Rams have gotten one step closer each of the last three seasons doesn’t mean another Super Bowl trip is next. As with every offseason for every team, there are major questions, and the Rams have some of the biggest ones. Here’s what’s ahead for Los Angeles.
Will Matthew Stafford return?
Stafford turns 38 in two weeks. He might ring it in with an MVP trophy, and it would be well-deserved. He led the NFL in passing yards (4,707), passing touchdowns (46) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (46-8). It was the best season of his career from a statistical standpoint, and he showed he still has the absurd arm talent to make jaw-dropping throws all over the field. In the NFC Championship Game loss, he threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns, took just one sack and did not have a turnover against arguably the NFL’s best defense, on the road.
There’s no doubt he can still play. The question is whether he will.
Stafford has mulled his future before, including last year, when he returned to the Rams only after getting a revised contract. He was mum on his future Sunday after the game.
If Stafford does not return, the Rams’ outlook is completely different, one that’s hard to even fathom at this moment. If he does return, it’s “Super Bowl or bust” once again.
2026 Super Bowl odds: Seahawks favored over Patriots; Sam Darnold the early MVP favorite over Drake Maye
Tyler Sullivan
Will Chris Shula return?
Shula has been in a handful of head coaching interviews, including two teams that are still searching: the Las Vegas Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals.
Shula, 39, showed a deep, versatile defensive approach this season. He’s the grandson of legendary former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, the son of former Cincinnati Bengals coach Dave Shula and the nephew of longtime offensive coordinator (and former Alabama coach) Mike Shula. The McVay coaching tree has borne plenty of fruit, and Shula could be next in line.
If he is, McVay has a big call to make. Is it an internal promotion? What about Raheem Morris, who has experience on both sides of the ball and as a head coach and was the Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2021-23? Speaking of that defense …
It’s time to inject the secondary with talent
The Rams have invested heavily (monetarily) in the offense, and they’ve invested heavily (draft-wise) in the defensive line. It’s time to spread some of that investment to the secondary.
Los Angeles pieced together its cornerback room with journeymen or castoffs such as Darious Williams, Emmanuel Forbes and Roger McCreary as well as recent homegrown products Cobie Durant and Josh Wallace. It was one of the cheapest cornerback units in the NFL, and it was on the cheapest defense in the NFL.
The Rams need to change that. Los Angeles will have ample cap space to make a splash in free agency and also has multiple first-round picks. The Rams struggled against top-flight wide receivers — Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 10-catch, 153-yard, one-touchdown NFC Championship Game was emblematic of a year-long issue — and are due for significant personnel turnover at the position with several free agents upcoming.
It’s past time to fix the special teams
Xavier Smith’s muffed punt was the only turnover of the NFC Championship Game, and the Seahawks scored a touchdown on the very next play. In a game decided by one possession, that turn of events loomed large. In the wild card win over the Carolina Panthers, the Rams had a punt blocked. In the Week 16 loss to the Seahawks — a game in which a win would have put them in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s No. 1 seed — the Rams allowed a punt return touchdown and missed a late go-ahead field goal attempt.
This has been a problem for far too long. The Rams finished 31st in special teams expected points added this season. They were 24th last year and dead last the year before.
If Stafford is back and McVay wants to earnestly give him his best shot to win another Super Bowl, fixing the special teams is a must.
Notable Rams free agents, cap space, draft picks
Most of the Rams’ core remains under contract for 2026, but there are some notable names set to hit free agency, including …
McCreary, Curl and Durant would likely be the top priorities for the Rams to keep; Curl in particular had a very strong season.
The Rams are in line to have over $30 million in effective cap space, per Over The Cap. That is the ninth-largest figure in the league.
It’s worth noting, however, that Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Steve Avila are all due for extensions. All four were part of the incredible 2023 draft class that breathed life into what was an aging, top-heavy roster at the time. Nacua could very well become the top-paid wide receiver in the NFL, and Turner, Young and Avila have been outstanding in the trenches. Right tackle Warren McClendon also emerged from that draft class, for what it’s worth.
Speaking of crucial draft classes, the Rams have another one upcoming. Los Angeles owns the 13th pick from the Atlanta Falcons thanks to last year’s draft-night trade and its own first-round pick (29th overall). Les Snead has the chance to hit another draft home run, especially considering he currently has more first-round picks in 2026 (two) than he made from 2017-25 (one).
Cornerback, safety and potentially linebacker will be top of mind. Offensive line and wide receiver could factor in, too. Maybe a Stafford succession plan plays a role. Regardless, Snead has the chance to make significant upgrades to his roster and, if Stafford is back, have them immediately slot into big roles for a title contender.
