ClutchPoints
As the new NFL league year approaches, many teams are honing in on their offseason strategies before players hit the open market. On Wednesday, Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady popped up into the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes, after Stafford essentially received permission to seek a trade from the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams made it clear that it isn’t a trade request from Stafford, per se. However, the potential of him getting dealt to another franchise has unequivocally gained a ton of steam this week.
For the moment, the Raiders are the frontrunners to land the 37-year-old quarterback. Brady and Stafford’s meeting has laid the foundations of a move to Las Vegas, which was considered “either a pure coincidence or was planned,” according to Christian Arnold of the New York Post.
Nevertheless, it appears that Brady and Stafford have been in communication, which may or may not lead to the future together, per Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports.
Sources: #Raiders minority owner Tom Brady recently hosted #Rams QB Matthew Stafford at his home in Montana, where they spent time together and went skiing. Brady has been actively trying to convince Stafford to join the Raiders, and discussions are ongoing.
Several teams are… pic.twitter.com/Jo9xxw2M6e
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 26, 2025
The Raiders, who have been in dire need of a surefire pocket passer since Derek Carr departed for New Orleans, will assuredly make their best play to acquire Stafford when free agency officially begins.
With Pete Carroll taking over as head coach, he likely prefers a proven veteran, over continuing to build and develop Aidan O’Connell. The addition of Stafford would provide a little more time for the organization to find a QB of the future. Here’s a trade that could work out for both sides:
Raiders receive:
Matthew Stafford
Rams receive:
2025 third-round pick
2025 third-round pick (via New York Jets/Davante Adams trade)
Stafford could legitimately return to the Rams next season, as he’s under contract until 2027. But there seems to be an interest for the 16-year veteran to be under center for the Raiders or the New York Giants.
“Brady has been actively trying to convince Stafford to join the Raiders, and discussions are ongoing,” Schultz wrote on X.
“If you really think Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford just happened to run into each other at a ski resort in Montana — of all places — at the exact same time, I’ve got a bridge to sell you,” he wrote.
“They were together over the weekend — it happened. Multiple teams are interested in Stafford, and Brady has been leading the charge to get him to the Raiders if the Rams decide to trade him.”
From a football standpoint, the initial report makes sense with everything that has transpired between Stafford and the Rams. And then another conflicting report said that the two “ran into each other” and that the meeting was...
