The Los Angeles Rams could be in the market for a young quarterback in 2025. Matthew Stafford is 37, Jimmy Garoppolo is an older backup and the 2025 NFL Draft class is mediocre at best.
There is no clear plan for the position once Stafford leaves or retires, so the trade market is a viable option if the Rams want to go down that route. Now, the Rams shouldn't and wouldn't trade for a quarterback who could threaten Stafford's position. They need a younger player who hasn't proven himself to be very good yet and could use some tutelage in a good offense under a good coach.
Enter Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis. While he isn't officially on the trade block, he could be an expendable player if the Titans take Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick. He's not an exciting player — and he hasn't be very good in the NFL — but he's proven at times he can play the position.
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox thinks the Rams are a good option for Levis as well. And he doesn't think it would cost much to acquire him. Knox wrote that the Rams could give up the No. 127 pick in the fourth round for Levis and the Titans' No. 167 pick in the fifth round.
"Learning under Sean McVay and behind Matthew Stafford could help Levis reach his NFL potential," Knox wrote. "McVay's spacing-based offense would allow him to operate as a "see it, throw it" passer while learning to better read defenses, hone accuracy and make better decisions.
"The Rams, meanwhile, will need to find an heir to Stafford at some point. The 37-year-old will be back in 2025 after agreeing to an adjusted contract but isn't going to play forever.
"According to McVay, though, Los Angeles may not be eager to land Stafford's successor in the 2025 draft.
"Now, McVay's statement may be mere pre-draft smoke, and the Rams could be considering a prospect like Dart or Alabama's Jalen Milroe with the 26th pick. If they're not, however, using a Day 3 pick swap to acquire Levis could be a wise move.
"L.A. doesn't possess a second-round pick because of last year's trade to move up and acquire Braden Fiske. The Rams could easily consider Levis as a better option than whichever quarterbacks are still available in Round 3 or later."
The idea of adding Levis is pretty frightening considering the amount of memes that stemmed from his horrific plays, but he has the requisite skills to be a good McVay quarterback if he was properly trained. Levis, however, hasn't been well developed in his two seasons with 3,899 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 21 games.
The one question the Rams would really need to ask themselves in this scenario is if they believe Levis in the fourth round is better than any of the late-round quarterback prospects. This includes Kyle McCord, Will Howard, Riley Leonard and Dillon Gabriel. If the answer is yes, this isn't a bad trade. But it's a no or a maybe, then the Rams are better off keeping their Day 3 pick and using it on a player with a clean slate and brand-new rookie deal.
