Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is the talk of the town in the early parts of the NFL offseason, now that the Los Angeles Rams have given Stafford and his agent their blessing to talk to other NFL teams in need of a veteran signal-caller. Stafford has done extremely well for the Rams over the past three years with the Rams and brought them to a Super Bowl victory in February 2022. But, at age 37, he’s getting up there in age for quarterbacks, and with star wide receiver Cooper Kupp being told that he’s going to be traded, Stafford may want to take the opportunity to look elsewhere.
According to NFL analyst and expert Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, four teams are going after Stafford, and they could be willing to pay big bucks to get him.
Matthew Stafford Being Courted by Several Teams, Expert Says
In a February 24 feature for Sports Illustrated, Breer says that he believes it’s going to “take some work” to “put this whole thing back together” for Stafford and the Rams. He also notes that the team is “working with a quarterback who knows what his value is to the other teams,” which could certainly mean an exit for Stafford.
Breer also names four teams who he says have “thrown their hats in the ring” for Stafford: the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders. It’s not just those teams, though, because he notes that “others have shown interest,” too.
Of course, it comes down to dollars and cents. Breer says that what’s difficult to know is “what the Rams would be willing to take to part with Stafford.”
With quarterbacks being paid more and more each season, Breer notes that Stafford “should be among the nine signal-callers now on deals averaging over $50 million per year.” So, he’s in line for a jaw-dropping deal.
Breer than asks what the Rams could be willing to take to give up Stafford stating, “If it’s a first-round pick, would the aforementioned teams still be willing to do a deal at more than $50 million per year?”
Any Way You Slice It, Matthew Stafford is Getting Paid
There are a lot of unknowns right now, but what’s known is that Stafford is in for a payday. The star signal-caller made a deal with the Rams last season, but it was really just a “Band-Aid,” as Breer calls it, and it’s “unlikely that the player will agree to play on the lowered number in the future year.”
When it comes to the Giants and Stafford, Jordan Raanan of ESPN sees some positives and negatives to this combination.
“Stafford is one option, albeit not the quarterback of the future that owner John Mara said the team desperately needed after the season,” he states. “Stafford just turned 37, but he would fulfill Mara’s desire to be more competitive immediately.”
He continued, “The acquisition would also theoretically take some pressure off general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll, who need to produce results in the coming season.”
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