Rams News: Arch Manning Buzz Creates Potential Trouble for Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett

In limited action last season, Arch Manning averaged 4.3 yards per carry on just 25 attempts, highlighted by a 67-yard touchdown burst against UTSA. His athleticism is real, and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian clearly trusts it, even using him as a change-of-pace option in the red zone. And now, that performance has turned into the loudest whisper, a sound that’s rumbling all the way from Austin, Texas, to the halls of SoFi Stadium, forcing the Los Angeles Rams to confront a question they’ve been politely ignoring: what happens after Matthew Stafford?

On the Locked On Rams podcast, D-mac laid out the organizational philosophy with stark clarity: “The plan that they have is not for Stetson Bennett to be the long-term solution at quarterback for this Rams organization.” This isn’t a slight on “Stets,” who had a solid preseason 44 of 64 passes for 512 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions, but a cold, hard fact of life in a league dominated by drafted phenoms. The blueprint for sustained success, as D-mac notes, “They feel like you have to find that quarterback in the NFL draft because those guys that you see lead the league, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jayden Daniels, you see those top quarterbacks, the one they’re facing in week one, CJ Stroud, the top QBs you find in the NFL draft.” 

It’s also to find that cornerstone in the draft, a guy you can build around for a decade-plus. Matthew Stafford is on his brink of retirement. Hence, for the successor? “The best way to go about it… is use picks to get a quarterback in the draft, have him on his rookie deal, put pieces around him, hopefully that guy works out, sign him to an extension, and you have a stable quarterback for a decade-plus.” It’s a move for the future, and the one they have in their sights might just be wearing burnt orange. “From a vibes check standpoint: they want Arch Manning. They want Arch Manning. There’s no doubt about it,” D-Mac revealed.

No doubt, the Rams’ miraculous Stafford trade and subsequent Super Bowl 56 win were the glorious exception, not the rule. “And yes, the Rams. I don’t want to say they got lucky, but it was an exception that they were able to trade for someone like Matthew Stafford at an age where he still had prime years left, and they still had a roster intact that could go after a Super Bowl, and it worked…. That’s rare, and the chance of that happening again are rare.”

Matthew Stafford, the warrior with a cannon for an arm and a resume that places him top-10 all-time in passing yards (59,809) and touchdowns (377), is now a 37-year-old quarterback with a back that requires careful maintenance. Head Coach Sean McVay has already preached caution, stating the obvious need to protect their investment.

But as ESPN reported, this isn’t a one-time fix; Stafford’s ailment is something that will have to be “monitored and managed” throughout the season. This inherent uncertainty, the faint but ever-present crack in the foundation, is why the Rams smartly acquired an extra first-round pick from Atlanta. So, it’s highly chances that they can use this pick to grab QB Cade Klubnik from Clemson. Or if not, as the podcast host stated, Arch Manning could be their next target.

The next Manning? How Arch could redefine the Rams’ future

Enter Arch Manning, with a projected NIL valuation of a staggering $6.8M a figure that would make him the top earner in college sports and outpace many active NFL players. His bloodline is legendary, his high school records at Isidore Newman (8,599 pass yds, 115 pass TDs) surpassed his uncles’, and his limited but dazzling college tape at Texas (a 184.0 passer rating in 2024) shows why the hype is real.

He’s embracing the pressure with a sniper’s focus, recently stating, “The target’s not on our back. We have a red dot on everyone else.” This is the guy. And the Rams, an organization famous for its audacious swings, from the Stafford trade to moving up for Jared Goff, are undoubtedly dreaming.

“You’d have to give up a lion’s share…a godfather offer…It would have to be someone like that to get up and get him. But this is a Rams team that takes big swings. They’re bold,” D-mac said, drawing a direct parallel to their history of aggressive moves. “look at what they did for Jared Goff — it’s literally what this organization does.”

So, where does that leave Stetson Bennett? In a painfully precarious spot. The former Georgia Bulldogs hero, a two-time national champion who embodies perseverance, finds himself in the ultimate football purgatory. He’s good enough to be a compelling backup, as his 105.7 preseason passer rating suggests, but the organization’s long-term vision appears to look right past him.

The potential trouble for both Stafford and Bennett is about the inexorable march of time and the allure of a decade-long dynasty. Stafford’s brilliant, Super Bowl-winning era will eventually sunset, and the Rams are already scouting the horizon for its heir. Bennett’s chance to be that guy seems to be fading before it ever truly arrived.

Acquiring a talent like Arch Manning would require a monumental trade package, a “godfather offer,” as D-mac called it. But this is the Rams. They’ve done it before. If they see their next decade under center in Austin, they won’t hesitate to be bold, turning today’s buzz into tomorrow’s reality and forever altering the trajectories of the quarterbacks currently in their building.