If the Minnesota Vikings move on from Sam Darnold, there will be in the market for a veteran placeholder.
J.J. McCarthy is nearing a full recovery from meniscus surgery last August but will need a veteran buffer if the Vikings deem him not ready to start. Minnesota tested Daniel Jones for that role by signing for the remainder of the 2024 season.
However, another veteran could be tapped to take over in Minnesota — Matthew Stafford.
Stafford’s wife, Kelly, went on her podcast to air her grievance with the Los Angeles Rams, who are looking to trade away Cooper Kupp in a move that she feels hurts Matt’s chances at competing.
She put a call out to teams that her husband, who is facing a contractual impasse with the Rams, wants to win, even if it means leaving Los Angeles.
“I wasn’t planning on discussing this, but hell, why not? My husband wants to win, he’s not trying to put a team in a bad situation, if you’re catching my drift you’re catching my drift,” Kelly said. “Trading away Cooper, I’m confused. We were one play away from going to the NFC championship and I think if we go we win.
“I have to be the dog in the situation. I want the respect that he deserves. I love the city of LA, with that being said, I love an adventure,” she added. “Right now, if the Rams decided that they wanted to trade him, or Matthew decided he didn’t want to play for the Rams, I’m good. I would move my family. Yeah, that might be tough. First month, hard. After that, turns out, I like my kids to learn how to be resilient.”
Rams’ Matthew Stafford’s Contract Standing Could Force Trade
Stafford’s wife saying he is not trying to put teams in a bad situation signals that he may be poised to take a pay cut.
Stafford and Kupp are the top two cap hits on the Rams’ roster in 2025. Stafford is due $49.7 million, while Kupp carries a $29.8 million cap hit with $22.3 million guaranteed.
Kupp’s guarantees are likely the crux of Los Angeles putting out trade calls for him as the Rams hope to move off his contract.
That’s led to frustration from Kelly, who suggests Matthew would potentially take a pay cut to keep Kupp around.
But if the Rams are truly done with Kupp, Matthew may be ready and willing to move to a team that he sees closer to contention in 2025.
Los Angeles beat the Vikings 27-9 in the first round of the NFC playoffs, but Minnesota has the resources — the fifth-most effective cap space ($55.7 million) for the 2025 season — to turn the roster into a juggernaut.
What a Matthew Stafford Would Look Like for Vikings
According to Over The Cap, Stafford would carry cap hits of $27 million for 2025 and $31 million for 2026 to his new team in a potential trade. The Rams would eat $44 million-plus in dead cap.
That’s a steep bill to front for Los Angeles, which will be looking for the means of finding their new quarterback in a trade involving Stafford. The conversation would start at a first-round pick.
That’s likely where the buck would stop for the Vikings, who have built around the idea of long-term success and insulating a young quarterback with talent.
But the McCarthy for Stafford trade has some steam in NFL circles.
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If the Vikings truly feel Stafford is the final piece to their core roster, Kevin O’Connell would be reunited with the quarterback arguably best fit to run his offense after winning a Super Bowl with Stafford in Los Angeles.
Considering Stafford would carry the 18th-highest cap hit at his position for the next two seasons ($29 million a season), Minnesota would have significantly more roster-building potential with Stafford than they would re-signing Darnold to a market-rate deal in the ballpark of $40 million a season.
It would truly be a two-year, all-in plan that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah advised against (“you never want to go full Rams“) when he first arrived in Minnesota.
However, without a contract extension in Adofo-Mensah’s hand, he could feel the pressure to accelerate the contention window.
Trading for Stafford would have to be co-signed by O’Connell, who would likely push back against any deal that would send off McCarthy.
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