This offseason, the Los Angeles Rams avoided a potential identity crisis. It took less than a week for Matthew Stafford to agree to a restructured contract, but that outcome wasn’t guaranteed—nor was it assumed. Behind the scenes, the Rams were quietly preparing for the possibility that their Super Bowl-winning quarterback might not return. And in that contingency plan, a familiar name loomed large.
“We definitely had discussions,” head coach Sean McVay told Good Morning Football. “Our first priority was always to work something out with Matthew. But if that wasn’t able to occur, then [Aaron Rodgers] was definitely a possibility for us.”
Los Angeles Rams, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and the Hollywood Script That Almost Was
It’s a revealing admission—not just about the Rams’ thinking, but about how close the NFL came to one of the most intriguing quarterback-team pairings in recent memory. While Rodgers ultimately signed a one-year, $13.5 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, there was a time—however briefly—when it looked as though he might take a significant discount to join McVay in Los Angeles.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, that often-cited $10 million figure wasn’t a league-wide offer. It was, perhaps, a Rams-specific gesture—reflecting Rodgers’ desire to return to California and potentially reunite with his former Packers teammate, Davante Adams.
It was a tantalizing idea: Rodgers and Adams, together again, this time in McVay’s high-octane offense, with a championship-caliber roster already in place. Adams had already signaled interest in returning to the West Coast and eventually landed with the Rams in free agency. Rodgers, meanwhile, had reportedly set his sights on Los Angeles as a preferred destination. The pieces were there. But the door never quite opened.
That’s because the Rams, despite initial trade discussions involving Stafford in February, quickly shifted course. They locked down their starter with a new deal on February 28, effectively closing the window on a Rodgers-Adams reunion in L.A. For the Rams, it was a recommitment to continuity—and to a quarterback who, despite age and injury concerns, had led them to both a Super Bowl title and a division crown within the last three years.
For McVay, the decision reinforced the trust he shares with Stafford. “What I feel really fortunate about is I think that we’re closer than ever,” McVay said. “When you’re able to have real conversations, I think you can appreciate the love that’s been built up, but also the ability to be honest with one another.”
That honesty extended to the football field, where Stafford and Adams have spent the spring fast-tracking a connection that usually takes years to develop. “There’s a mutual respect you can feel between them,” McVay noted during OTAs. “Sometimes it’s fun just to be a fly on the wall and listen to their dialogue—how they’re processing things together. It’s been cool to watch.”
Had the Steelers pursued Stafford more aggressively, it’s possible the offseason story would’ve ended very differently. ESPN’s Dan Graziano recently suggested Pittsburgh may have missed an opportunity by not targeting Stafford earlier, a move that might have cleared the way for Rodgers to land in L.A. But instead, the Steelers waited, eventually signing Rodgers on a modest deal—one that, at $10 million guaranteed, still left many wondering what might have been.
In the end, Rodgers heads to Pittsburgh, a city not without its own rich football tradition. But for those keeping track of alternate timelines, this one feels like a chapter that could have belonged to Hollywood. Rodgers in Rams horns, back with Adams, orchestrating one last ride under the lights of SoFi Stadium? It had all the makings of a blockbuster.
Instead, Los Angeles bet on familiarity. Stafford is back. Adams is in-house. And McVay’s offense has one more shot to capture the magic it once bottled in 2021.
The script changed—but the show goes on.
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