Tom Brady is throwing a spanner into the works of what the New York Giants are planning at quarterback, and the NFL is okay with it. More specifically, the league doesn’t see a problem with Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Brady speaking with agents of veteran passer Matthew Stafford, who’s firmly in the sights of the Giants, ahead of the annual Scouting Combine.
Brady contacted Stafford’s people, according to a report from Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday, February 25. As to whether this could be classified as tampering, another report from Bonsignore on Thursday revealed the NFL believes “There is no issue here. The Rams gave the player and his agent permission to speak to the Raiders.”
This update means the path is clear for Brady to continue trying to tempt Los Angeles Rams signal-caller Stafford to join the Silver and Black, per Bonsignore: “Brady has spearheaded the Raiders’ pursuit of Stafford. He’s tried to sell Stafford on the merits of joining him, new coach Pete Carroll and new general manager John Spytek in Las Vegas.”
Those efforts are already bearing fruit, according to Bonsignore, who also reported “NFL sources indicate the Raiders and his camp have found common ground on what a potential new contract could look like.”
Beating the Giants to Stafford would not only let Brady get one over on a familiar foe. It would also prompt the Giants, who beat Brady’s New England Patriots in two Super Bowls, to expand their plans for finding help at football’s most important position.
The expanded strategy could involve a bold move at the top of the 2025 NFL draft.
Tom Brady Pull an Impediment to Giants’ Plans
Whatever the Giants pitch to Stafford, it’s easy to believe Brady’s selling technique would have more pull. He’s a former player, a contemporary of Stafford’s, no less.
The difference is Brady is perhaps the greatest to ever play quarterback in the pros. He’s a seven-time Super Bowl winner, while Stafford’s only lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy once, to cap the 2021 season with the Rams.
A meeting between Brady and Stafford would surely at least sway Stafford toward the Raiders’ cause. Yet, there’s some debate about whether or not such a meeting ever took place.
Brady was supposed to have run into Stafford during an impromptu ski trip in Montana, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He pointed out how this “meeting, unplanned, was not extensive or in-depth and did not include Brady ‘hosting’ or ‘recruiting’ Stafford, despite reports saying otherwise.”
Rapoport’s take was lent weight by this refrain from Brady’s agent, Don Yee, per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero: “I know that reporters sometimes make mistakes in their haste, but this story’s inaccurate.”
Both of those posts landed on ‘X’ on Wednesday, before Bonsignore’s latest report about how “The Raiders have emerged as a front-runner among multiple teams to acquire Stafford in a trade with the Rams.”
A suitable trade package becomes the next issue. Giving up a first-round pick to acquire a 37-year-old may be too rich for the Giants, but putting their primary draft capital to use could still help Big Blue land a would-be franchise quarterback.
Giants Aren’t Short of Matthew Stafford Alternatives
Trading up from the third-overall pick to the first would position the Giants to draft either of the top two QBs in this class, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders or Miami’s Cam Ward. The latter is the likely top pick, but he may not even be the Giants favorite draft passer.
Looking long term is the next logical step if the Giants are unable to acquire a proven commodity. There are other veterans who fit the bill. Including another Super Bowl winner who remains one of the most accomplished vertical passers in the league.
Trusting experience has merits, not least because it’s essentially a win-now move. Something Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll need after barely surviving a 3-12 season.
You couldn’t get much more bold than outbidding Brady for Stafford, but the Giants would be wise to fully explore every possible choice.
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