Rams GM Les Snead Shoots Down Matthew Stafford Trade Rumors

Les Snead seems fully committed to Matthew Stafford during a meeting with the media on Thursday.

It appears as if Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is staying put after all.

Despite rumors to the contrary, general manager Les Snead shot down rumors of that they were 'making calls' in regards to a trade of Stafford, calling their Super Bowl-winning quarterback one of the franchise's key pillars for the future.

“We’re going to definitely rely on Matthew," Snead said on Thursday. "He’s definitely one of our pillars. He’s definitely someone we’re going to rely on as we remodel this.”

Snead would go on to describe Stafford, alongside Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald, as one of the franchise's 'weight-bearing walls'.

These comments from snead come in the midst of a report from NFL insider Michael Lombardi, who claimed the Rams were actively shopping Stafford in an effort to get out from under his massive contract. 

"Matt Stafford is fully available," Lombardi said. "They would love to trade him. They can't do it because he has $57 million guaranteed... The Rams, what are they going to do? They're trying to get out from it. I don't want to hear the b*** s*** that 'we're not trying to trade him. Yes, you are. You've called teams. I know this."

Stafford signed a four-year $160 million extension with $57 million guaranteed last march, which was designed to keep him in Los Angeles through 2026.

However, 2022 was a rough year for the veteran, who missed seven games with a spinal contusion injury. 

Stafford went on to complete 206 of 303 passes for 2,087 yards and 10 touchdowns with eight interceptions in nine games, while being sacked 29 times, which was the 16th most in the NFL, despite him missing nearly half the season.

Still, Stafford apparently remains a firm part of the Rams going forward.

However, Snead says that the Rams will adjust their philosophy a bit in regards to roster construction.

"Our DNA is to attack, hit the gas," Snead said. "We want to hit the brakes a little bit. That does not change, right, how we’re going to approach the season, how we're going to approach the day-to-day. But it will definitely change how we approach constructing the roster."

Despite that, the Rams have been engaged in talks to drastically change their roster, with names like Jalen Ramsey, Allen Robinson, Leonard Floyd, all being the subject of persistent trade rumors. 

Nevertheless, it appears, at least according to Snead, that Stafford is currently safe from those discussions. 

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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