Stetson Bennett Addresses Absence From Los Angeles Rams During 2023 Season

Stetson Bennett has provided a few details about his mysterious absence during the 2023 NFL season.

May 28, 2024; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) speaks to the media following OTAs at the team training facility at California Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Stetson Bennett has provided a few details about his mysterious absence during the 2023 NFL season.

Throughout his time at The University of Georgia, the name Stetson Bennett became legendary to both Georgia Bulldog and college football fans. Which ultimately made “The Mailman’s” absence from the Los Angeles Rams during his rookie season in the NFL last year that much more puzzling. However, Bennett has since returned to his NFL team and recently addressed his absence during a media availability earlier this week. 

Bennett explained that his reasons for being placed on the Non-Football Injury list were mental health-related but stated that he planned on keeping specifics “in-house”. The Rams quarterback also added that he was excited to once again be playing football and that he feels good. 

Bennett’s career path has been anything but stress-free or orthodox. The once walk-on quarterback was at one point ridiculed by Bulldog fans and benched during the 2020 season. In spite of the mass ridicule he received, Bennett returned in 2021 to eventually win over the starting role as Georgia’s signal caller. “The Mailman” delivered for the rest of the season and helped lead the Dawgs to their first-ever title in over 41 years. 

Bennett’s story did not end there, however. Despite suggestions that he should “ride off into the sunset” from his own fanbase, Bennett returned the Athens once again and delivered a second straight national title which included a historic 65-7 beatdown of TCU in the national championship. Bennett’s abilities were once again, brought into question as the 2023 NFL Draft approached and the quarterback would eventually be selected in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Rams. 

Rams General Manager Les Snead detailed the pressures that Bennett had faced during his career and elaborated in an interview with News 19 that the rookie quarterback likely needed a break. Snead also added that he was in full support of Bennett's absence and was happy for Bennett.

“To win a job, then to win the thing [national championship], and then to determine, ‘I’m going to come back.’ And when you come back, it’s really win it again or you failed. That takes a toll on a human being, so I was jacked for Stetson to be able to take that moment and breathe a little bit.” 

Bennett will presumably be battling with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason for a second-string spot behind former Georgia Bulldog Matthew Stafford.

Georgia Bulldogs 2024 Football Schedule

• Aug. 31 - vs Clemson (Atlanta, Ga.)
• Sept. 7 - vs Tennessee Tech
• Sept. 14 - @ Kentucky
• Sept. 21 - BYE
• Sept. 28 @ Alabama
• Oct. 5 - vs Auburn
• Oct. 12 - vs Mississippi State
• Oct. 19 - @ Texas
• Oct. 26 - BYE
• Nov. 2 - vs Florida (Jacksonville, Fl.)
• Nov. 9 - @ Ole Miss
• Nov. 16 - vs Tennessee
• Nov. 23 vs UMass
• Nov. 30 vs Georgia Tech

Other Georgia News:

• Georgia Bulldogs Poised for Deep Run in College Baseball Tournament
• Georgia Bulldogs 2024 NFL Draft Recap
• Ohio State Predicted to Have Defense Comparable to 2021 Georgia

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