Colin Cowherd Proposes Wild Luka Dončić-Esque Trade Involving Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford

The Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade shook not just the NBA world, but the entire world of sports. It was an unprecedented move, and while it was fun for the neutral to see such big names changing teams, it has also had a negative knock-on effect: more mock trades. People were already crafting theoretical trades for the NFL, but now that a blockbuster deal has actually gone through, guys like Colin Cowherd are drooling over the possibilities.

Cowherd simply couldn’t help himself, so he cooked up a hypothetical deal that would rival the magnitude of the Dončić-Davis trade. In Cowherd’s fantasy world, the deal would involve (soon-to-be former) New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford, and the New York Giants.

Cowherd claimed that a “long-time NFL exec” said this theoretical trade was “not crazy.” The plausibility begins with L.A.’s growing impatience towards their current QB, as well as the New York Giants’ front office’s desperation to compete in 2025.

“The Rams like Matt Stafford, but they’re tiring of the constant quarterback talk. His wife saying things publicly. They like him, but they don’t want to restructure his deal and give him a big contract. Meanwhile, the Giants do not like the QB class, and Brian Daboll, the head coach, and Joe Schoen, the GM, have got to win or they’ll be fired by Thanksgiving.”

In Cowherd’s imaginary deal, the Rams would want New York’s top pick in exchange for Stafford. But, instead of using it, they would trade down again and gather more draft capital for 2026, when there’s a much stronger QB draft class—highlighted by the prodigal son, Arch Manning—coming out of college.

“What the Rams want, I’m told, they want the Giants’ 1st-round pick at No. 3. They want to take that pick, move down, and get more picks. Why? So they have extra picks for next year, when they have to move up to get a QB.”

If that were all to come to fruition, it would put the Rams in the perfect position to look for someone like the mercurial Aaron Rodgers to take over. It would be just for a year or two, while they bridge from the Stafford era to the next era led by whoever they draft in 2026.

“So, what the Rams will be in the market for, if Matt Stafford moves, is a 1-2 year rental at QB. Aaron Rodgers. Hear me out. Aaron needs a rehab. Got a house in Malibu. West coast guy. Remember, Matt LaFleur’s brother is the OC with Sean McVay. Well, he’s been in that system before. I believe Aaron is craving infrastructure, stability, a head coach he respects, organizational excellence.”

All of those dominos falling exactly like that seems impossible. Perhaps it was a more reasonable suggestion than you usually see when these pundits decide to play pretend general manager—but that is not saying much. The bar is pretty low.

The whole 37-year-old Stafford for the No. 3 pick thing was especially derided by fans of Big Blue. And we would have to agree with them. One said he would simply “quit” if Schoen and Daboll concocted a deal like this.

We can safely say that despite Daboll and Schoen’s desperation to keep their jobs, they’re not going to make such a short-sighted move. Even with Stafford in the fold, it’s not like they’re the 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd-best team in their own division. It was a fun try by Colin Cowherd, but there’s a reason he’s on TV and not in a front office somewhere.