NFL insiders suggest stunning trade Rams might make before the trade deadline

The Los Angeles Rams are 1-4 and don't appear to be trending toward the playoffs in 2024. That means that, unless the front office feels like things could flip in a hurry, the Rams might be sellers before the trade deadline in early November.

One player who might be on the trade block is quarterback Matthew Stafford. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN brought up how Stafford is 36 years old and has been banged up in recent years. He asked "Does he want to play after this season?" The big thing that Fowler said here, however, was that "While interested teams are unclear, the Raiders have a glaring need at the position."

Fowler is insinuating that the Raiders could be a candidate to trade for Stafford if the Rams are interested in trading him. Stafford was traded to the Rams in 2021 in exchange for Jared Goff and immediately helped the Rams get to and win a Super Bowl. Since then, things haven't gone as swimmingly with the team suffering a losing record in 2022, going one-and-done in the playoffs in 2023, and struggling in 2024.

Stafford is definitely closer to the end of his career than the beginning of it so if he's okay with being traded and the Rams think it's the right decision, maybe it could happen. The Raiders feel like a strange destination for Stafford but there's no denying how lousy their quarterback is.

Could Rams trade Matthew Stafford to the Raiders?

The Rams are in a strange spot and one that they're not used to being in. Yes, they had a losing record in 2022 but that was due to Stafford missing time with injuries. He's healthy (healthy-ish, at least) but the offensive line and wide receiver injuries have made things tough on him.

Fowler even notes in the write-up that maybe when Stafford gets Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back, things could turn around for the Rams. Sadly, it might be too late for the team to make any real sort of run at that point but the NFC West does still appear to be wide open with the 49ers also struggling out of the gates.

It'd be weird to see Stafford with another team to close out his career but if the Raiders or another team are desperate enough to land him, maybe that could end up benefitting Los Angeles in the long run.