In the early portion of the offseason, veteran quarterback and future Hall of Famer Matthew Stafford has been the subject of plenty of trade speculation due to his age (37) and contract situation coming up in 2025.
That’s led to many believing the Los Angeles Rams could shop him and reset this offseason, especially after placing standout wide receiver Cooper Kupp on the trade block.
But according to NFL insider Dan Graziano of ESPN, Stafford will likely return to the Rams for 2025 and beyond.
In a piece for ESPN.com Saturday morning, Graziano stated that Stafford is happy with the direction of the Rams’ offense moving forward and believes the franchise can contend.
“Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is likely to return to L.A. in 2025, according to sources close to the situation,” Graziano writes regarding Stafford, according to ESPN.com. “The past two seasons have been good for Stafford, who turned 37 on Friday and believes the Rams’ leadership gives them the ability to contend every year.”
Since the Rams’ season ended, Stafford’s name has been floated as a trade candidate due to his $50 million cap hit in 2025 and his age. He just turned 37 on Feb. 7.
With his name in trade speculation, many talking heads have tried to connect Stafford to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who need an answer at quarterback. Stafford has continued to play high-level football in Los Angeles and is coming off of a 2024 season in which he threw for 3,762 yards and 20 touchdowns to just eight interceptions in 16 games, sitting out the regular season finale.
In the playoffs, Stafford led the Rams to a 27-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round and then lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22 in the Divisional Round. Across two playoff games, Stafford completed 63.4% of his passes for 533 yards and four touchdowns.
Though the Rams haven’t said anything about a Stafford trade, the quarterback’s wife acknowledged the rumors on her own podcast and stated that the family wasn’t scared to go elsewhere if that’s what the Rams wanted to do. But based on Graziano’s report, it seems like Stafford will be sticking around in Los Angeles for 2025, even with the Rams likely moving on from favorite target Cooper Kupp.
So, for now, those trade rumors and people dreaming of Stafford in a Steelers jersey can stop. Things can ultimately change, but right now, it seems like Stafford will be staying put.
