Matthew Stafford DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Rumors have been swirling about the future of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford this offseason. With Los Angeles continuing to rebuild a young roster, there has been speculation that he could be traded, with "several teams" having already called the Rams. However, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports league sources are "adamant" that head coach Sean McVay and the organization want him back in 2025. Trading the veteran would result in a $45.3 million dead cap hit in 2025 and a $23 million dead cap hit in 2026, and there's no evidence to support Stafford wants to leave, either. Stafford completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions last season despite playing a significant stretch of the year without Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Kupp is almost certainly going to be dealt, but it sounds unlikely that Stafford will be playing for a new team next season.

The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue writes that it's not a given that quarterback Matthew Stafford will remain with the Los Angeles Rams going into the 2025 season despite both sides' openness to work out a deal. The best path forward is Stafford returning for one more year in L.A., but head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead not overtly committing to Stafford at the end of the year signals that they are open to a potential trade this offseason. Basically, the Rams have a youthful roster and don't want to make a significant financial commitment to an aging QB whose long-term future and durability are uncertain. The 37-year-old only missed one game in 2024, though, and was peaking in the postseason. Several NFL executives think Stafford has another good season left in him, but if the Rams stick with him in 2025, they are putting off their future another year. The Rams are essentially between a rock and a hard place and their backup last season, Jimmy Garoppolo, will be a free agent.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to return for another season in 2025, but ESPN's Dan Graziano writes that the Rams will likely need to restructure Stafford's contract again. His current salary cap hit for 2025 is around $50 million, so the Rams will likely convert his salary into bonuses again to lower the cap hit and move Stafford's 2025 compensation into the range of a good starting QB. Although Stafford is now 37 and strictly a pocket passer, he ranked 12th in QBR (64.7) in 2024 and can still pick apart defenses with his strong arm. From all accounts, he appeared to be happy with the direction of the team, and multiple sources with the team don't believe drastic changes are coming this offseason. If the Rams do entertain trading Stafford, he'll be one of the most coveted signal-callers available.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford plans to continue playing in 2025. Stafford was non-committal as to whether he'd return for a 17th NFL season after the Rams' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round. Although it's now clear he wants to keep playing, there's still uncertainty as to whether it will be in L.A. The 36-year-old signal-caller revised his contract with the Rams before the 2024 season and will carry a $49.6 million salary cap number into this year. If the Rams were to trade Stafford in a post-June 1 move, they'd save $27 million. They'd save $23 million by designating him as a post-June 1 cut. However, the Rams don't currently have any immediate plans to replace Stafford. Injuries are a concern, but he still has elite arm strength and threw for 3,762 passing yards, 20 TDs and eight interceptions in 16 regular-season games.

According to his wife, Kelly, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (ribs) played through a rib injury late in the season after cracking four of his ribs in Week 15 against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Stafford aggravated his ribs in the first half of the Divisional Round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday and admitted after the game that he had been dealing with it "to a varying degree for some time." He said he "was able to kind of calm it down" and "didn't feel like it was much of a factor" against Philly. Despite being less than 100%, Stafford threw for a season-high 324 yards and two touchdowns and almost led the Rams to an improbable coming back win. The 36-year-old acknowledged that he will contemplate his future this offseason. If Stafford comes back for a 17th season in 2025, he'll be a midrange QB2 target in fantasy drafts.