NFL experts stun reeling Rams fans by suggesting Stafford could be traded

LA Rams fans are reeling from the fact that NFL rumors have ignited over the no-going-back decision by the team to trade veteran Cooper Kupp 'immediately.' While some Rams fans are still in denial, there is no disputing the fact as the news was made public by Cooper Kupp himself on social media.

A similar component of Rams fans denied the retirement news of former All-Pro DT Aaron Donald. We all deal with loss in different ways. And the retirement, trade, or loss of a fan-favorite player triggers grieving in NFL fans, which is natural. There are five stages of dealing with grief:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

It's merely a natural coping mechanism to the likelihood that Rams fans may use to handle the probability of the team and Matthew Stafford's contractual impasse resulting in the Rams trading Stafford to a new team. That may seem unlikely to many fans right now, but let me be quite clear. There is almost no common ground between these two sides right now. And for good reason.

There is almost nothing to guide either the Rams or Matthew Stafford in the contract negotiations that must happen this offseason. From the team's perspective, it has invested heavily in the offensive side of the football. The Rams spent more on offense than any other team, to no avail. The Rams offensive line was ranked sixth-overall in sacks allowed. But the offense was ranked 15th-overall in yards gained, and 20th-overall in points scored. If you remove points scored by the very opportunistic defense last season, the picture becomes even gloomier.

The results of the 2024 season have compelled Rams HC Sean McVay to regroup this offseason and vow to consider importing some of the strategies used by Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen in his achieving a Top-Five NFL scoring offense in 2024. Keep in mind that Coen did so with the former Rams backup quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Perhaps it's the Buccaneers sensational success with Mayfield that has forced the Rams football organization to think outside the box. In the challenge to relive the glory days of their Super Bowl LVI victory by clinging to the champions of the past, have the Rams denied themselves optimal opportunities to claim new Super Bowl opportunities by allowing championship caliber players to slip through their fingers?

Boiling it all down to its essential question: Did the team let Baker Mayfield get away too easily?

Stafford proved his value by shining like a prime-time version of himself in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. But the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs placed the fate of four NFL quarterbacks in the balance. The Rams would end up seven points shy and 14 yards short of competing in the NFC Championship Game. Many believe the Rams would appear in Super Bowl LIX if the team had managed to pull off a touchdown in their final Red Zone appearance.

NFL experts suggest the Rams will trade Matthew Stafford.

It's time to be brutally honest with ourselves. The only way for the Los Angeles Rams to have a competitive offer for then-backup quarterback Baker Mayfield was to dangle the likelihood of starting for the Rams as part of their commitment to him for the 2023 NFL season. That did not happen, nor was there ever a chance of happening. The Rams were still committed to Pro Bowl QB Matthew Stafford in 2023.

Then, in 2024, the floor dropped out.

The Rams rested starters in Week 18. Rather than settle any quarterback controversy for the Rams roster, the Week 18 performance by backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo splashed both hope and pessimism among Rams fans. After all, Garoppolo got more out of the Rams' backup receivers than the team had gotten from starting QB Matthew Stafford and the starting receivers all season.

Just to be clear: Matthew Stafford averaged 235 passing yards, 1.25 TDs, and 0.5 INTs in 16 games in 2024. Jimmy Garoppolo averaged 334 passing yards, 2.0 TDs, and 1.0 INTs in one game in 2024. Stafford truly elevated his game in the 2025 NFL Playoffs, just like he had throughout the 2024 NFL season. But the question remains - How long can Stafford continue to play at an elite level?

So when I share the following news from NFL Insider Albert Breer, denial is almost certainly the response from some Rams fans.

In the course of his discussion, NFL Insider Breer explains that mums the word among NFL GMs over the chance that Matthew Stafford could be had for the right price. If you want to talk about NFL salaries, the very reason Stafford might be traded is the fact that he has no guaranteed salary for this season.

Did the Rams emerge from Stafford contract negotiations in 2024 both strained and frustrated by the intensity of getting Stafford's performing last season guaranteed? Whatever else fans may conclude about 2024, one thing is clear. Both the team and Stafford did not hammer out the terms of a contract that satisfied both the team and the player over the life of the contract.

2024 was resolved. 2025 was left in the 'To Be Determined,' category. Now, the challenge for Stafford and the team is to decide what the true value of Stafford is to the Rams, or any other NFL team, this season.

More NFL analysts and players weigh in

Of course, the NFL offseason is just days away. So the NFL silly season is getting an early head start on the speculative and hypothetical trade scenarios that often wilt on the vine. But there are the occasional conceptual trade scenarios that can and do take root. That is what ESPN NFL analyst Andrew Hawkins is banking on when he dropped the idea that the Rams front office should explore trading away starting quarterback Matthew Stafford now:

It's Hawkins view that trading away Cooper Kupp is too great of a setback to a very close Super Bowl contender for the Rams to overcome this offseason. Of course, similar sentiment was widespread about the team before the 2023 and 2024 NFL seasons, and we know how that all turned out. So I wouldn't necessarily put too much into that sentiment. Or, should I?

Some thought our posing the question about a Rams offensive rebuild far too premature over the first reports of Rams rumors over trading Cooper Kupp. But as time passes and new Rams' details surface, the likelihood of going in a new direction in 2025 is taking on a shape that is beyond a new mission statement.

How far is the Rams front office willing to go to rework the offense?

New York Giants WR lobbying for Stafford?

Sharks smell blood in the water with the LA Rams roster right now, and the scent of prying the unreplicable chemistry between QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp has to make the mouths of some NFL general managers salivate right now. The thing is, even NFL players are getting into the act. New England Patriots veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was prophetic in his lobbying efforts to lure Rams WR Cooper Kupp to the Patriots.

Now, New York Giants young WR sensation, Malik Nabers, is tossing his team's hat into the ring for both Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford:

Too much to ask for? Nabers has repeatedly shared Matthew Stafford's jersey number (9) and the Rams icon on social media for three consecutive days. Clearly, he is putting soft social media pressure on his team, the New York Giants, to get the team's front office motivated to call the Rams about a potential trade for veteran QB Matthew Stafford and WR Cooper Kupp.

But if he could get only one Rams player, which player would that be? His answer is:

I don't think that anyone can say with a degree of certainty where the fates of Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford, or the LA Rams team as a whole will end up in 2025. Nobody saw the light at the end of the tunnel after Aaron Donald's retirement in 2024. But the Rams defense put up 16 QB sacks in two playoff games.

The Rams may be reluctant to face 2025 without WR Cooper Kupp. And the Rams may shudder at the thought of facing 2025 without either WR Cooper Kupp or QB Matthew Stafford. But events seem to play out for the team's advantage. One rule is clear about the Rams front office that has never waivered: If a player is unwillingly to play for the Rams, the team does not beg them to stay.

The Rams front office is confident in their ability to assess the fair market value of prospects and players, and seldom waiver from that position. The future is uncertain right now. But I trust the Rams football organization now more than ever. Stay tuned, as this is going to be an offseason that very much feels like a roller coaster ride until the opening day kickoff.

And as always, thanks so much for reading.

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