Matthew Stafford will be the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams in 2026.

After winning the most important individual award of his career, league MVP, the 38-year-old announced that he would be returning to the NFC Championship finalists for another go at a second ring with the franchise.

But what about 2027?

What about 2028?

The Rams are not looking to rebuild. They have a young core built around the likes of Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, Kyren Williams, and now Trent McDuffie.

Regardless of whether Stafford retires next year or three years from now, the Rams aren’t in, and no way should they want to be in a rebuilding phase.

So while there will be tons of rumors about making another Jared Goff-for-Matthew Stafford-style trade to get an elite QB who needs a change of scenery, like Josh Allen or Joe Burrow, those aren’t likely to happen.

If the Rams do want to nip the anxiety of finding Stafford’s successor in the bud, they can do it with the upcoming NFL Draft.

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They do have the No. 13 pick and could go for a QB, but it would feel like a reach at that position, with Fernando Mendoza expected to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders.

But trading back into the first round isn’t out of the ordinary for teams, and the Rams have been rumored to be interested in Alabama’s Ty Simpson.

While that would seem like the obvious move, the Rams could make a savvy play with a head coach, Sean McVay, who is known for getting the most out of raw prospects. He did it with Jared Goff nearly a decade ago, and he could do it again.

Instead of using draft capital on Simpson, the Rams should look at a day-two QB with a high ceiling and an equally low floor. Before the 2025 college football season, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State’s Drew Allar were projected to be top-five picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

While neither panned out, a lot of it due to injuries for both, they are still prototypical NFL quarterbacks with strong arms, big builds, and the raw talent to be something in the NFL.

Neither Nussmeier nor Allar is anywhere near ready to start in the NFL, but that’s a good thing for the Rams. They don’t want a starter for at least a year, two, or three.

In a draft where the desperate teams in need of a starting QB could reach for Simpson or simply look towards 2027’s crop, which might include Arch Manning, the Rams have the mentor, coach, and system that could turn a quiet second- or third-day pick into the best signing five years from now.