Sean McVay addresses Stetson Bennett’s situation with franchise after QB’s absence in rookie season

The Los Angeles Rams selected Stetson Bennett in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. They saw the two-time College Football Playoff National Champion as a worthy successor of Matthew Stafford, who coincidentally played for the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

With Stafford not getting any younger, the plan was to have Bennett learn the ropes for a few seasons before taking over. However, he did not make a regular-season appearance, even if he played during the Rams’ preseason games.

Adding mystery to his absence is that the team placed him on the non-football injury/illness list before the regular season started. Last Jan. 17, Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed Bennett’s situation by saying (via Los Angeles Times writer Gary Klein):

“You know, I don’t know that. I think that’s a conversation for another time. I think he’s doing better but I wouldn't be in a position to answer that accurately right now.”

McVay spoke about Stetson Bennett during a video press conference a month later. As Klein posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Super Bowl-winning head coach said they will connect with the second-year quarterback “at the appropriate time.”

McVay added:

“And you figure out, ‘All right, where are you at?’ And is this something we feel like is best for him and our football team to bring him back into this ecosystem.”

While McVay did not specify Bennett’s situation, the 2022 Manning Award and Burlsworth Trophy winner signed a four-year, $4.53 million contract with the Rams last July. But the team signed Carson Wentz as Stafford’s backup in his absence.

Without Stetson Bennett, the Rams won seven of their last eight regular season games to enter the NFC playoffs with a 10-7 record. However, they lost to the Detroit Lions by one point during their Wild Card Round encounter 24-23.

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Stetson Bennett has been through some legal trouble

Bennett and the Georgia Bulldogs stood tall after dominating the TCU Horned Frogs in the 2023 CFP National Championship Game 65-7. That gave head coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs back-to-back championships.

But on January 28, 2023, 19 days after Georgia ruled college football, the authorities in Dallas, Texas, arrested Stetson Bennett on public intoxication charges. According to a report by WFAA’s Rebecca Lopez, he banged doors at the 1600 block of Tribeca Way in Old East Dallas at 6 a.m.

Bennett reportedly said he had a friend who lived in the area but couldn’t call them. The authorities took him to a detention center before being released from custody at 11 a.m. on the same day.