Rams QB Stetson Bennett speaks to the media.Stetson Bennett (Photo via @JourdanRodrigue/Twitter)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett is back with the team after a one-year hiatus.

Bennett sat out all of his rookie season due to mental health concerns, something he confirmed to reporters after practice this week.

The former Georgia Bulldogs star won national titles back-to-back before he was drafted by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft and was expected to be Matthew Stafford’s backup after participating in the Rams’ offseason activities, as well as their preseason.

He was surprisingly added to the reserve/non-football illness list instead.

“It’s great to get back to football, it’s what I love,” Bennett said on Tuesday, per FOX News.

“I was home. As far as what led to that, what transpired and all that, I think we’re going to keep that in house. But it was good. I went back home, and thank goodness that Les [Snead] and coach [Sean] McVay and everybody involved allowed me to do that.”

 

Stetson Bennett Confirms His Mental Health Was The Cause Of His Absence

Stetson Bennett added that he expected to return to the team eventually and decided to sit out after much discussion with team brass.

Asked whether his reason for stepping away from football fell under the “umbrella of mental health,” he said, “Yeah, I’d say that.”

Bennett will compete for a backup role again this offseason, with veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo now his competition.

The Rams signed the former San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller in March, but he will miss the first two games of next season due to a violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

NFL Fans Are Thrilled Over Latest Update On Quarterback Stetson Bennett

Stetson Bennett in Rams uniform(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Stetson Bennett and the mystery surrounding his future with the Los Angeles Rams has been talked about a lot since last year. The Rams rookie quarterback left the team early in the 2023 season and there has been little explanation as to the reason behind his placement on the reserve/non-injury football list.

Bennett opened the season as the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind Matthew Stafford. The team would promote Brett Rypien to take Bennett’s place on the roster before ultimately signing Carson Wentz.

However, things have changed for the better since then regarding his status.

During an event at the Macon Touchdown Club earlier this week, his former Georgia Bulldogs head coach, Kirby Smart, provided a positive update on Bennett.

“Stetson is doing well,” Smart said, via Sports Illustrated. “He went back to Dallas to train where he trained last year. He trained with Patrick Mahomes’ trainer and some different people there. So he wanted to go back to that same footprint where he was training previously. The Rams still have him there. They have gotten other quarterbacks (Jimmy Garoppolo), but he’s hopeful that he gets an opportunity there or he’ll get picked up by somebody else.”

Stetson Bennett’s future in Los Angeles is uncertain after the team signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency.

Stetson Bennett, a 2023 fourth-round pick, was spotted last week working out in Texas, one of the first appearances since the quarterback was placed on the reserve/NFI list by the Los Angeles Rams in mid-September.

Things started going downhill for him as months before the 2023 NFL Draft, Bennett was arrested and charged with public intoxication in January 2023.

Stetson Bennett Was An All-Time Quarterback Playing For The Georgia Bulldogs

In 2022, Stetson Bennett and the Georgia Bulldogs won their first national title in four decades and then repeated in 2023.

In Georgia’s 65-7 dismantling of TCU in the College Football Playoff title game, Bennett would complete 18-of-25 passes for 304 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in the game. He also added three rushes for 39 yards and two touchdowns. For his efforts, he would earn offensive game MVP in the game, giving him the honor in all four CFP games he played in.

With 8,428 career passing yards, Bennett ended his collegiate career fourth in program history. He is fifth in program history in career touchdown passes with 66.