The Rams’ path to Super Bowl 2027 is very clear.
If they want the chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy with confetti falling in their home stadium, they must first go through the team up north. After winning Super Bowl 60 29-13 over the Patrioits, the Seahawks will be among the favorites to win it all next year.
But expect the Rams to be in that group also.
Here are five questions that need to be answered for the Rams this offseason:
What to do with Stafford’s contract?
Prior to winning the NFL MVP on Thursday night, Matthew Stafford was already due a pay raise — if he was going to return for another year.
When Stafford and the Rams re-did his contract last March, the two sides essentially agreed on two one-year deals for $42 million each season. But now Stafford is coming off the best season of his career and a first-time MVP, and therefore that pay raise is a guarantee.
All that matters is what the number is.
Heading into the 2026 season, Stafford is slated to make $42 million, which would make him the 16th-highest-paid signal caller in the league. The Cowboys Dak Prescott tops that list at $60 million, with the Bills Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Jordan Love all making $55 million.
According to Vincent Bonsignore of The California Post, a new deal could look like “something along the lines of a three-year deal, with the third season voidable, for a guaranteed $110 million could get it done.”
The Rams have the cap space available to make it happen.
How do the Rams fix the defense?
Simply put, if the Rams want to give Stafford his Hollywood ending by winning the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium next season, they must make upgrading the cornerback room a real priority.
Too often in the postseason and in some of the year’s biggest moments did that group let this team down. That can’t be the same case in 2026, not for a team with such lofty goals.
The draft will offer plenty of options if the Rams go that route, which is enticing considering GM Les Snead’s recent draft history and his ability to find value in the middle rounds.
But expecting a rookie cornerback to come in and immediately contribute in that sort of environment is a big ask. Which is why Los Angeles might be better off finding value on the free agent market.
Players such as the Buccaneers Jamel Dean, the Chiefs’ Jaylen Watson, and the Seahawks Tariq Woolen will all be available.
With a projected $46.7 million in salary cap space to fill, the Rams should be aggressive in getting the guy they want.
Does Puka Nacua rewrite the wide receiver market?
One of the better draft selections of the decade, Nacua has emerged as arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL despite being chosen in the fifth round of the 2023 draft.
Because he was chosen in the fifth round, Nacua has one more year on his contract before he can hit unrestricted free agency. However, he is extension eligible this offseason, and the Rams should waste no time in locking him up for the foreseeable future.
By extending him this year, they can construct it in a way that minimizes the cap hit this year and get him under contract on this year’s price point, rather than next year’s. A four-year deal with $92 million fully guaranteed could be the number that gets it done.
Who takes over as offensive coordinator?
With Mike heading to the division rival Cardinals, that means the league’s No. 1 offense from 2025 is searching for a new leader.
Head coach Sean McVay wasted little time in making a move, hiring former Cardinals head coach and Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to be on the offensive staff. His role has not been released to the media, but there is some expectation that he and current pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase will have expanded roles.
And with the No. 13 pick in the NFL Draft, the Rams select…
This will be highly debated in the lead-up to the draft.
The Rams could go in several directions, including offensive line or secondary, as Kam Curl, Cobie Durant and Roger McCreary are all headed for free agency.
But another really intriguing option would be wide receiver, giving Stafford another weapon to utilize and someone who could also find a bigger role in the future. The ideal candidate wouldn’t even have to travel far from his home at USC.
Makai Lemon could serve in a complementary role this season as Stafford already has Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, arguably the best WR combo in the league. But Lemon is one of the better route runners in college, who should be a first-round pick, and is in the running for the first wide receiver chosen.
Los Angeles also has its own pick in the first round at No. 29.
