The 2026 season for the Los Angeles Rams is starting to feel a lot like the outcomes we saw in 2020 and 2022. The collapses in these respective years brought significant change to the organization.
With the offense struggling in 2020, the Rams decided that they had reached the end of the runway with Jared Goff. They traded Goff plus multiple first-round picks to the Detroit Lions in order to acquire Matthew Stafford. Stafford brought a renewed passing game to Los Angeles, and this allowed Sean McVay
to reach deeper into his bag of tricks.
Then came 2022. The offensive line was in shambles to start the year. It only got worse. Stafford was poorly protected and he ultimately succumbed to injury himself. Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald were soon to follow.
The change coming out of the 2022 season was a little more abstract than a sea change at quarterback. The front office realigned expectations with cornerstone piece Aaron Donald and refocused how they approach the draft. The Rams knew it was time for a roster reset. Donald was willing to return to help build the next era of the team as long as he was surrounded by players who loved the game and played for the right reasons. That led to an injection of home grown talent like Steve Avila, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Puka Nacua, Braden Fiske, Jared Verse, Kamren Kinchens, and others.
We don’t yet know whether 2026 is a lost season, although things certainly seem to be trending in that direction.
But if the Rams find themselves out of contention soon, this collapse would be different. LA has already taken steps to build the future. There would be more sizeable moves to follow, of course, but the framework is at least already in place this time.
The difference this time around is Ty Simpson.
A losing season would likely mean the end of the run for Stafford, whose individual performance has significantly declined from his MVP year. Whether the Rams find a new home for Stafford remains uncertain, but a logical first step in a roster reset would be moving on from a quarterback in his late 30’s and the twilight of his career.
The Rams need to at least win eight of their remaining 11 games in order to keep pace for a wildcard spot in 2026. That is a high bar to clear. Dropping games the team should win over the next month only accelerates the timeline for a quarterback change.
Losing and lost seasons often bring uncertainty. That wouldn’t be the case for the 2026 and 2027 Rams. The future is already on their roster. This time around is different.
