INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 25: Russell Wilson #3 of the Denver Broncos is greeted by Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams after the game at SoFi Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
NFL rumors: Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is “fully available” in trade talks.
According to NFL insider Michael Lombardi, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is “fully available”.
On the Pat McAfee Show, Lombardi said the following:
“Matt[hew] Stafford is fully available. They’re trying. They would love to trade him. They can’t do it, because he’s got $57 million guaranteed.”
The Rams are coming off a disappointing 5-12 season. They set the record for the most losses by a reigning Super Bowl champion in NFL history.
With an underwhelming roster and negative cap space, it is not surprising that the Rams are exploring every avenue to improve, including trading Stafford.
Last season, Stafford played in nine games before suffering a season-ending spinal cord contusion. He threw for 2,087 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. His 87.4 quarterback rating was his lowest since 2014.
NFL rumors: Why the Rams should not trade Matthew Stafford
From a cap perspective, trading Stafford would be unwise. Moving him would leave the Rams with $49.5 million in dead cap, per Spotrac. Even if the Rams were able to trade him without taking back any additional salary, they would still lose an extra -$28 million in cap space. The Rams are already above the cap, so taking on that dead cap hit is just not feasible.
In addition, finding a trade partner for Stafford will be difficult. He is coming off a season-ending injury, and he has four years left on his current deal.
Furthermore, the teams with significant cap space (Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals) have promising young quarterbacks (Joe Burrow, Justin Fields, Desmond Ridder) and/or top-ten draft picks. So, acquiring Stafford would make little sense for them.
With very little interest in Lamar Jackson, perhaps Stafford makes more sense in the short-term.
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