NFL Rumors: Trading Matthew Stafford Is A Real Possibility For The Rams

The Los Angeles Rams have some tough decisions to make during the upcoming NFL offseason. One of them surrounds quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has signaled that he would like to get a new deal done before the start of the 2025 campaign. But is the franchise willing to make a long-term commitment to a guy who turned 37 years old this month?

NFL Rumors: Should Rams Consider Trading Matthew Stafford?

The two sides apparently met before the Super Bowl. There was a hope that a resolution would be made to the situation, but there was little progress, and talks will continue within the next few weeks, according to team sources.

Given their surprise first place finish in the NFC West this past season, the Rams are almost certainly thinking that they are in win-now mode. The easy thing to do would be to be able to bring their veteran QB back for another year, and hope that they can enter the 2025 postseason with him leading their roster full of young talent. But Stafford reportedly wants the long-term security, which would likely handcuff the team into making budget cuts at other positions on the team.

A trade is certainly a possibility. There are plenty of quarterback-hungry teams this NFL off-season, and not enough elite collegiate prospects to fill all of the needs through the draft. The free agent market will be thin as well, with names like Sam Darnold and Justin Fields headlining the pool of availability. That would mean that teams like the Raiders, Jets, or Steelers could find themselves exploring the trade market, and the Rams would certainly be fielding calls for Stafford if it was known that he was available to potential suitors.

“Get a guy like Matthew Stafford. It almost negates some of the struggles that an offensive line can have.”@TheSamAcho thinks the Steelers should pursue Matthew Stafford 👀 pic.twitter.com/UnM06x0FP0

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 17, 2025

But his departure would create yet another issue for the Rams. Last year’s backup Jimmy Garoppolo will be hitting free agency after his short stay, which would leave 2023 4th round pick Stetson Bennett as the team’s only quarterback on the active roster. Bennett not only hasn’t started an NFL game in his two years, but he hasn’t attempted a single pass, or taken a single snap of any kind.

In their exit meetings after the conclusion of their 2024 campaign, head coach Sean McVay and General Manager Les Sneed didn’t exactly put all of their confidence in Matthew Stafford being their starter going into 2025. Sneed was asked about the possibility of trading their long-time QB, and didn’t shut the question down. Instead, he said that it would take another team reaching out to them for it to be a consideration.

Judging by how many NFL teams will be needing to fill the position this off-season, their phone should be ringing already.