One of the two remaining starting quarterbacks on the market finally made his decision earlier this week! No, sorry, it wasn’t Aaron Rodgers. That saga continues. Instead, it was the lesser-valued Russell Wilson, who chose to stop waiting on Rodgers and make his own move. He signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the New York Giants, packed with incentives that could double his earnings to $21 million.
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So, another domino falls. And while Wilson wasn’t a major one, his signing does have a ripple effect across the league. The Cleveland Browns had been eyeing Wilson rather than Rodgers, so with Russ now off the table, it’s much more likely they use their first-round pick on a QB to add to a room that currently only includes Kenny Pickett. The Pittsburgh Steelers will also have to look elsewhere.
But it’s not just quarterback-needy teams that have had their offseason strategies altered by Wilson’s signing. Some non-NFLers were also affected by the decision. Namely, Matthew Stafford’s outspoken wife, Kelly.
On her podcast, The Morning After, this week, Kelly received the Wilson news live during the recording. And, her connection to the signing was surprisingly relevant: her brother, Chad Hall, works as the Giants’ assistant quarterbacks coach.
“My brother will be in the room with him, and I think that’ll be good. That’s a veteran quarterback that my brother can learn from. It’ll be great. And, you know, (he can) give guidance in whatever way he thinks he can,” said Kelly with much optimism.
Hall entered the NFL as an undrafted WR in 2008. From 2010 to 2013, he spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Kansas City Chiefs (a pretty good trio of organizations). He then wrapped up his playing career on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad in 2014. He finished with 16 receptions for 155 yards and a pair of TDs for his career.
From 2017 to 2022, Hall then worked with the Bills first as an offensive assistant and then as the receivers coach. He took the same job with the Jags from 2023 to 2024 before moving on to this new role with the Giants.
Kelly was probably just as happy that her brother would be working with Wilson instead of Aaron Rodgers, who remains unsigned. At this point, though, she has tuned out of football talk until September, which is fair enough.
“So, the teams left for Aaron Rodgers are what? Steelers? Are the Raiders still in the running for that? I think it’s Steelers or Minnesota, but I don’t know. Who the f*ck knows. You know what, ever since Matthew re-signed, I have been out of it, I’ve been like, ‘Yep, I’m done, I don’t need to listen or talk football until September.’ Thankfulness.”
Kelly had been vocal during Matthew’s contract negotiations with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason, stating she was open to leaving LA LA Land.
Both the player and the team likely put out stories or quotes to gain leverage in negotiations. Fortunately, nothing too drastic surfaced, and the sides reached an agreement in February to keep Matthew, Kelly, and the gang in L.A. for the foreseeable future.
