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.