NFL Trade Rumors
Matthew Stafford being a potential trade piece for the Rams has been a topic of conversation at the start of this year’s offseason. Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports, citing league sources, reports several teams have called Los Angeles about Stafford and the belief is a first-round pick would be their price in exchange for him.
Schultz also cites league sources who are “adamant” that HC Sean McVay and other members of the organization want to keep Stafford on their roster.
Within the last week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Giants aren’t considering trading the No. 3 overall pick in exchange for Stafford when shooting down rumors that Los Angeles could send him to New York and then attempt to sign Aaron Rodgers.
Schefter said the Rams’ “first priority” is getting an extension done with Stafford and will only look to move him if they can’t do so. While the Rams are hopeful they can get a deal done with Stafford, Schefter noted that anything is possible after Stafford and the team’s negotiations from last year lingered on for several months until the start of training camp. It seems for now that the upcoming NFL Combine could serve as a bit of a soft deadline so both sides can plan for 2025.
Yesterday, the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue wrote the core difference between the Rams and Stafford at this point is Los Angeles’ hesitancy to make a significant financial commitment to a veteran quarterback whose long-term future or durability is questionable.
Rodrigue writes things between the two sides remain fluid despite both sides being open to working out a deal. She says there was an initial meeting before the Super Bowl but not much has happened since then, with things expected to pick up in the coming weeks before the start of the NFL league year in March.
It is not a given Stafford remains with the Rams, per Rodrigue. She points out the lack of overt commitment from McVay and GM Les Snead at the end of the season signaled to other teams they were open to having trade talks.
“[I]t’ll take someone calling or us reaching out if we want to do that,” Snead said via Pro Football Talk. “Those are the things that’ll be determined down the road here.”
Even though both sides want to make something happen and the Rams don’t have a clear alternative to Stafford who would make them equally competitive in 2025, Rodrigue notes the Rams are cognizant of a wave of young core players who will be eligible for extensions in the next two years, which is why there’s a limit to how long and for how much Los Angeles is willing to commit to Stafford.
Stafford’s situation is one teams around the league are monitoring as the start of the new league year in March draws closer. There are varying reports about how likely it is the veteran actually becomes available.
Stafford, 37, is a former first-round pick of the Lions, who took...
