In one of the more stunning developments of the NFL offseason, the Los Angeles Rams appear prepared to let quarterback Matthew Stafford leave the team via trade. Despite falling just short of reaching the Conference Championship Game last season with a team that boasts an ideal mix of young talent and veteran leadership, the Rams seem content to move on from Stafford rather than pay him his market value.
Stafford, unsurprisingly, has no shortage of trade suitors as QB-needy teams are lining up to land the 16-year veteran passer. Chief among the teams vying for Stafford’s services are the New York Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Giants have already met with Stafford’s representatives at the NFL Scouting Combine Tuesday, according to the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy on X. The Rams granted Stafford permission to discuss a contract extension with interested teams before LA officially enters into trade talks.
The Rams are inching closer to trading Matthew Stafford
There have been reports that the Rams are taking this approach, allowing Stafford to talk with other teams, in an effort to gauge the QB’s value around the league. This, supposedly, would then give the Rams a better idea of what to offer Stafford on an extension.
This notion is, clearly, ridiculous. Unless LA’s intention was to drive Stafford’s price up as high as possible, it really makes no sense at all. Quarterback-starved teams were already going to over pay Stafford. But now the Rams are essentially creating a bidding war for his services, pushing the contract price up even higher.
From a football standpoint, moving on from Stafford is baffling. The Rams would be legitimate Super Bowl containers in 2025 with Stafford running the offense. But LA is not looking at the situation from a football standpoint. This is all about money. Stafford is set to make $27 million this season, well below his market value of about $42 million annually. And, based on the quarterback market, Stafford could make $50 million a year.
The Rams simply do not want to pay Stafford that kind of money. Particularly with the signal caller entering his age-37 season.
There is some chatter that the Rams could replace Stafford with Aaron Rodgers. The soon-to-be ex-Jets quarterback is four years older than Stafford and is set to earn $37.5 million in 2025. Can the gap between what Stafford would be willing to take to stay with the Rams and what Rodgers is set to earn be so great as to make that QB swap worthwhile? It’s hard to imagine. But then again, no one could have predicted any of this mess to begin with, particularly after the Rams’ successful 2024 campaign.
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