For the Chicago Bears, most of the attention this offseason has revolved around new head coach Ben Johnson and the new era he has brought to the organization.
It's been an exciting time to be a Bears fan, with Johnson coming into a place that has their franchise quarterback all set in Caleb Williams and a front office that has money and draft capital to work with right off the bat.
By all accounts, the Bears are going to improve drastically in the coming couple of months. And, by the same token, other teams will also improve.
However, there could be some teams which somehow manage to get worse. It might seem far fetched to see happening, but the Los Angeles Rams are certainly one of the teams that could enter that category.
For a couple of weeks now, we've seen rumors and rumblings of the Rams potentially not bringing back Matthew Stafford this season. More specifically, the rumors have been in reference to a Matthew Stafford trade.
Could the Rams really make such a bold, potentially-disastrous trade? Both Stafford and the Rams reportedly want to work out a new deal that would allow the quarterback to be paid on a more fair contract in respect to the current market.
But, Los Angeles did recently give Stafford's agent permission to talk with other teams and thus opened the door for a deal.
A Matthew Stafford trade could remove one more playoff team from the Bears' competition
This past season, the Rams endured a ton of injuries, specifically to top wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, along with injuries to their offensive line. Still, Stafford and company were able to make it all the way to the Divisional Round, ultimately losing to the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Three of the four rumored teams interested in Stafford, right now, are the Browns, Steelers and Raiders, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. If Stafford ends up in the AFC, the NFC gets much more interesting.
Without Stafford, that team is a completely different beast. The Rams are already trying to move on from Kupp. Imagine if Stafford leaves too.
The options for Los Angeles, outside of Stafford, might include quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold and Jameis Winston. It's safe to say none of those are as good as Stafford at this moment in time.
If the Rams regress (and they will if they trade Stafford) then that could the door for another playoff seed to be open for Chicago. Now, the Rams made it in due to winning the division last year. So, eliminating the Rams doesn't fully guarantee a spot for any other NFC team.
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In reality, it opens more of a door for an NFC West team.
But, are three teams in the NFC North going to get into the postseason again? That doesn't seem likely, either. Every year, we see playoff teams regress, and this coming season could include any one of the Lions, Packers or Vikings for various reasons. You never know.
The Rams, though, could be one less team the Bears have to deal with in terms of NFC competition if Stafford is traded.