Could Matthew Stafford actually be on his way out of Los Angeles? The Rams reportedly gave Stafford’s agent permission to gauge his client’s trade market and contract value ahead of Super Bowl LIX. A number of potential suitors, including the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, have since expressed interest in Stafford.
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The Philadelphia Eagles thumped the Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs to win the Lombardi Trophy. Before that, they nearly lost at home to Los Angeles, 28-22, in the divisional round. The Rams got as close as the Eagles’ 13-yard line on their final offensive drive of the contest. Had they scored a touchdown and extra point, they likely would have advanced to the NFC Championship.
Stafford – and the Rams – wouldn’t have been in that situation without one another. Their best path for continued short-term Super Bowl contention would involve him remaining in town. And that’s why former NFL general manager Mike Mayock believes Stafford should indeed stay with the Rams.
“I don’t think a divorce makes any sense… from [the] Rams’ perspective, not only do you compete… you get an opportunity to figure out who’s next at quarterback. Take a couple swings… get somebody into the building [to] groom. From Stafford’s perspective, why would you want to leave except for money? You’ve got one of the best play-callers… [the Rams] draft well… where do you want to go?” – Mayock said on The Rich Eisen Show.
Mayock finds it hard to believe either side would experience such success again in 2025 if they parted ways.
The Giants, Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Cleveland Browns have all reportedly debated acquiring Stafford. For the time being, the Browns have their own trade demands from a disgruntled superstar (Myles Garrett) to ponder. Mayock didn’t mention them when dispatching Stafford’s potential new locations but had words on the other three destinations.
“I don’t think Pittsburgh’s roster is better [than the Rams’ roster]… do you want to go to the Giants and try to be a savior? That’s a two, three, four-year proposition… you want to end your career on a bad team? Same thing with [Las] Vegas.” – Mike Mayock
Stafford, 37, isn’t a true superstar anymore. To Mayock, he’s in the “number 10 [to] number 12]” range. That said, ‘s still good enough to take a quality team to a Super Bowl. For that reason, Mayock thinks Los Angeles can soothe things with Stafford. He doesn’t believe they should pay him top dollar but foresees additional guarantees on Stafford’s existing contract.
“I think there’s some gas in the tank. But there’s got to be a happy place for both parties… maybe what it is, because he’s out of guaranteed money… maybe you’re guaranteeing two years of contract money and bumping him some kind of bonus that you can diffuse over the next two or three years… I don’t want to let him out the door.” – Mike Mayock
Los Angeles and Stafford have roughly two weeks to sort things out before the new league year begins. At that point, anything will become possible with Stafford. As Mayock mentioned, his easiest path to another Lombardi Trophy seems to be his current locale. But if he values money over winning at this stage of his career, he’ll be elsewhere next season.
