The Los Angeles Rams have seemingly dropped a significant hint about quarterback Matthew Stafford’s future.
In an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” Friday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Rams have given Stafford permission to speak to other teams as both parties mull Stafford’s future.
Pelissero made clear, however, that this does not necessarily mean that the Rams plan to trade the quarterback.
“My understanding has been that the Rams have been in conversations with (Stafford’s) agent,” Pelissero said. “They’ve also given his agent permission to talk to other clubs and just figure out, hey, if he became available, if there were a trade, what would the numbers be elsewhere here?”
Stafford’s 2025 deal is non-guaranteed, so a new contract is inevitable, be it with the Rams or another team. As Pelissero notes, the Rams making this move allows Stafford to test the market and see what other teams would be willing to pay him.
In turn, the Rams can get an idea of his market in their own talks with the quarterback. For the moment, Stafford has a modest $23 million base salary for 2025, well below market value for a quarterback of his stature.
Pelissero noted that, in his view, the “priority” for both Stafford and the Rams appears to be to remain together in 2025.
There has still been a great deal of speculation regarding Stafford’s future already this offseason. There have been rumblings from Stafford’s camp that might be meant to put some pressure on the Rams. The team does not seem eager to trade Stafford, but the rumors keep lingering.
Stafford maintained solid numbers in 2024. He threw for 3,762 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and led the Rams to within one play of the NFC Championship game. It would be very hard for the Rams to give that up, especially without any clear replacement in their organization.
