It’s not likely to happen, but it sure would be something if Stafford joined his former Seahawks rival in Las Vegas.
While the Seattle Seahawks are dealing with their own quarterback decision regarding the future of Geno Smith, the reigning NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams have their own interesting storyline with Matthew Stafford.
The 37-year-old Stafford, whose contract runs out in 2026, has been subject to trade speculation. This has only been fueled by a recent report that Stafford’s camp has been given permission to speak to other teams regarding his market value, which can be seen as an indication that a trade is possible. It’s also possible that Stafford gets a new deal that sees him end his career as a Ram, but where’s the fun in that?
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer listed several teams who’ve shown interest in acquiring Stafford, among which are Pete Carroll’s Las Vegas Raiders.
The teams you’d suspect would have their hat in the ring have, indeed, thrown their hats in the ring. The New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders and others have shown interest.
Of course, none of those four teams has a franchise quarterback and the Steelers aren’t even picking in the top 10, so their high-end options are limited. Pittsburgh also isn’t exactly a franchise known for humongous blockbuster trades.
The other part to Breer’s story is how long Stafford’s camp has received permission to talk to other teams. It turns out this materialized prior to the Super Bowl.
During the week leading up to Super Bowl LIX, Stafford’s camp got permission from the Rams to talk to other teams—so his reps have already had two weeks to test the market and see who’d be willing to give up trade compensation and a big, new contract to land the 37-year-old star. It’s only steeled belief that, given the changing conditions of quarterback cost, he should be among the nine signal-callers now on deals averaging over $50 million per year.
Is there a team willing to trade and extend Stafford at a price the Rams are unwilling to pay? I’m not sure given Stafford’s age and injury history that it actually happens, but it’s still worth monitoring given the implications it could have for the entire NFC West.
It sure would be something if Carroll’s first quarterback as Raiders head coach is one of his former rivals and not a Russell Wilson reunion (or a rookie QB).