Matthew Stafford is one of the greatest quarterbacks, and simply players, in Detroit Lions history. But his career after he was traded out of Detroit has become something of a soap opera.
Stafford has spent the past three years with the Los Angles Rams and even led them to a Super Bowl victory in 2021. But entering his age-37 season, the relationship appears to be deteriorating based on comments made by his wife, Kelly, earlier this month.
On Friday, the reality of Stafford playing somewhere other than Los Angeles took another step and it could lead to a blockbuster trade that sends the former Lions franchise quarterback somewhere else.
Matthew Stafford’s Permission To Seek A Trade Puts Him Another Step Further From Detroit
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero detailed Stafford’s situation during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Friday morning. Peliserro stated that the conflict between the Rams began during last offseason when Stafford felt his four-year, $160 million contract extension signed in 2022 was below value due to the exploding nature of the quarterback market.
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— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 21, 2025
Could Matthew Stafford really end up playing somewhere other than Los Angeles in 2025? When might a decision be made on his #NFL home?#NFLCombine #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/T4KFvFZHbN
Instead of working out a new deal, the two sides agreed to forgo Stafford’s 2025 guarantees and pushed them up to his 2024 salary, helping him earn $46.1 million last season. The move gave Stafford a year-to-year situation on his contract and created a $4 million roster bonus that’s due next month. While the Rams could still pay that bonus, they’ve allowed Stafford and his agent to explore his trade market ahead of the deadline.
"And my understanding has been that the Rams have been in conversations with his agent, that they’ve also given his agent permission to talk to other clubs and just figure out," Pelissero reported.
Pelissero also noted that by allowing his agent to talk to teams, it would clear a significant obstacle in facilitating a deal as well as let the Rams know what they would have to do to his current contract in order to keep him in Los Angeles.
With last year’s contract situation playing out all through training camp, it’s possible Stafford could wait and see what how the free agent market plays out as it includes Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson and could include Kirk Cousins if he is released by the Atlanta Falcons. If some big numbers hit the market, it could lead Stafford somewhere else.
This is all entertainment for Lions fans who don’t have to deal with any of this drama. Detroit has its franchise quarterback in Jared Goff after he came over in the trade that sent Stafford to the Rams and their biggest focus is how they can get over the hump and get to the Super Bowl in 2025.