ESPN’s Kevin Seifert mentioned last week that the Los Angeles Rams could look to trade or release veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford since Stafford has no guaranteed money left on his contract.
Shortly after that, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News interestingly reported that a source “not connected to Stafford’s camp” said the 37-year-old would be interested in possibly featuring for the New York Giants.
However, it seems people who know Stafford think he wants to run it back with his current employer for at least one more season.
On Monday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated noted that he thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers “remain the most attractive destination for an older veteran quarterback like” Stafford “given how many pieces are already in place, the history of the franchise and the presence of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.”
“As for whether or not Stafford will be available? I know some folks close to him think that he ultimately wants to remain in Los Angeles and play for (head coach) Sean McVay,” Breer continued. “We’ll see if the Rams can work out the contract part of this, which will determine what’s next.”
It makes sense Stafford would want to stay put for several reasons. He earned a Super Bowl ring working with McVay and, most recently, notched a playoff victory with the franchise last month. Additionally, he understandably could feel his situation with the Rams is better than what he’d find elsewhere ahead of the 2025 draft.
The Giants finished this past season at 3-14 and could part ways with both general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll next January or even before the end of 2025 if the team is again largely uncompetitive through the fall months. Meanwhile, the Steelers seemingly would rather give backup Justin Fields a chance to prove himself as a QB1, in part because he’ll turn just 26 years old in March.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pointed out on Monday that a “weird vibe lingers between the Rams and” Stafford after neither McVay nor general manager Les Snead guaranteed earlier this winter that the team’s current starter will remain with the organization. Also on Monday, a different story suggested the Rams could re-sign QB2 Jimmy Garoppolo as a bridge option at the position if the club can’t work things out with Stafford.
Nevertheless, the Rams and Stafford probably need each other for another campaign considering no proven upgrade at quarterback is set to reach free agency when the new league year opens on March 12. Unless Stafford demands more money from the Rams than they’re willing to give him at this stage of his career, it appears likely he won’t become available to teams such as the Giants or Steelers before 2026 at the earliest.
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