Two years after being traded from the Lions to the Rams, Matthew Stafford could be back on the move.
If the Rams had their way, it sounds like he'd already be gone. The money says he's likely staying put.
"Matthew Stafford is fully available," NFL insider and former longtime exec Michael Lombardi said Thursday on the Pat McAfee Show. "They would love to trade him. They can't do it because he's got $57 million guaranteed" for 2023.
The Rams have apparently been shopping Stafford this offseason as they try to recoup draft picks and reset their books after going all-in to win the Super Bowl in 2021, Stafford's first season in LA.
Problem is, trading Stafford, who signed a four-year $160 million extension with the Rams last March, would leave the team with a $74 million dead cap hit next season. Yes: $74 million. His guaranteed money for 2023 is due on the third day of the new league year later this month.
Rams GM Les Snead told reporters Thursday that Stafford is "definitely one of our pillars" and that the club will "rely on Matthew" moving forward. Lombardi suggests that's "bullsh*t:" the Rams are only committed to him because they don't know how to move him.
"What are they gonna do? They're trying to get out from (his contract), so I don't really want to hear the bullsh*t that, 'Oh, we're not trying to trade him.' Yes, you are. You'e called teams, I know this. So I don't really care what they say, they all lie about it," Lombardi said.
Stafford, who threw 41 touchdowns (and a league-leading 17 picks) in 2021, missed seven games last season due to a concussion and a neck injury and finished the year on injured reserve. He turned 35 last month, but confirmed this offseason that he does not intend to retire.
He's under contract with the Rams through 2026, his age-38 season.
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