NFL Rumors: Michael Lombardi claims 'Rams would love to trade,' Stafford

Ar the LA Rams purging roster of 30+ aged players?

The common thread of the LA Rams rumors so far is age-driven. All players who are on the trade block/threat of release are over or are about to be 30 years of age. That's a pretty undeniable trend, and it does lend itself to extrapolate to other veteran players who are 30+ years of age.

Are the LA Rams willing to part ways with Stafford? Hey, Stafford has played in the NFL for 14 seasons, and many of those years have been less than tender and injury-free. He was banged around hard, and as a result earned the reputation of being one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL. Early in his career with time running out, Stafford was sacked and was injured on the play (separated shoulder of non-throwing arm). Due to NFL regulations, he had to be out for a play. But on the very next play, he returns to the football field and throws a TD strike to win the game for the Detroit Lions.

"Stafford is fully available"

The Pat McAfee podcast video can be found by clicking this link here. The question raised about Matthew Stafford occurs at the -1:25:30 mark, when Michael Lombardi is asked whether a team could get Matthew Stafford, to which Michael Lombardi replied:

"Oh, Matthew Stafford is fully available. They would love to trade Matthew Stafford, but they (the LA Rams) can't do it because he's got $57 million guaranteed. (Do we know he is playing?- Pat McAfee) Well, he says that he is playing. But on his contract, he's got $26 million of an option bonus on the third day of the league year, and he's got $31 million in paragraph five on the third day of the league year, all of that is guaranteed. That's $57 million. Now when I say guarantee, that's for skill or injury, so it doesn't matter if he can play or not. I know that they want to get out of it, they've called teams. I know this" - per Michael Lombardi.

So even as Lombardi states that the Rams have contacted other teams trying to gauge the trade market for Matthew Stafford, the likelihood of an actual trade is next to nothing. The chance of both teams emerging from a trade of Matthew Stafford is unlikely because the risk to a team acquiring Stafford with $57 million guaranteed is too great to accept with a veteran QB.