Giants GM Joe Schoen jockeys to be front-runner in Matthew Stafford sweepstakes

Don't rule out the Las Vegas Raiders

While they are nowhere near as desperate to land Stafford as the Giants, the Las Vegas Raiders have snuck in to emerge as quite possibly the true front runner in the Stafford Sweepstakes. A trade to the Las Vegas Raiders could allow Stafford to remain at his current residence. It would also plop him into an NFC West Division team that is eager to get back to relevancy.

They have struggled to find success since 2021. In the past three seasons, the Raiders have ended with records:

• 2022: 6-11
• 2023: 8-9
• 2024: 4-13

Ironically, the Raiders starting quarterback in 2023, their most successful of the past three seasons, was Jimmy Garoppolo. He finished that year with a record of 3-3. But the Raiders locker room was dissatisfied with the offense, and Garoppolo became the scapegoat for an entire host of problems.

Now, just a short time after shedding Garoppolo, they are in the hunt for Rams starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. As we noted above, Stafford to the Raiders is pickup up a lot of steam:

Here's more on the Stafford to Raiders matter:

We'll follow up on VInny Bosignore's take on the latest developments with the pursuit of Matthew Stafford.

The Raiders are loaded with draft picks. The most noteworthy are the sixth and 37th overall picks, but they enter the 2025 NFL Draft with 10 picks. The Raiders possess four selections within the first 75 in this draft, and multiple picks in Round 3 and 6. If any team should be able to part with multiple picks to acquire Matthew Stafford and still have a solid rooke class, the Raiders fit the bill.

Of the two teams, the Raiders feel like the team to watch. If all things are equal, I expect the Rams would prefer to send Stafford to an AFC team. And that proximity to where Stafford currently lives would likely make Las Vegas a preferred destination as well. But anything goes right now, and if a team sets its mind to it, that team could win the Stafford sweepstakes just as easily.

Stafford's name is hot right now. And there are enough NFL teams in the mix to logically conclude that at least one team makes an offer that the LA Rams cannot refuse. If it's a matter of timing, than I don't see how factors to trade Stafford could be any more optimal.

Is Stafford truly worth the $50+ million per year that he is demanding? I have to think that if the Rams foootball team thought so, he would already be signing that newly constructed contract. Since that hasn't happened, the team is playing a game of chicken.

Who blinks first? Either Stafford blinks, and agrees to play for what the Rams are offering, or another team blinks and meets the trade price set by the Rams. In either scenario, I believe the chances of the Rams meeting Stafford's salary as remote. What is left comes down to how badly Stafford wants to remain a Ram. And if it comes down to that, I expect he will be packing his bags.

As always, thanks for reading.

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