Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford considers the Los Angeles Rams a viable contender in its trading market, sources told ESPN on Friday.
While it’s unclear what the Rams can do with quarterback Jared Goff’s long-term deal on the books, they inquired about Stafford’s services and explored what it would take to get anything done with Detroit, sources said.
Cutting Goff would cost the Rams $ 65.2 million in dead money; trading him would cost $ 22.2 million. Goff signed a $ 134 million four-year extension with $ 110 million guaranteed in the off-season 2019 after Goff and the Rams took a trip to the Super Bowl.
The Lions front office is aware of the Rams’ salary limit. General manager Brad Holmes was a longtime Rams director before getting his GM job in Detroit this month.
The general manager of Rams Les Snead said earlier this week that it would not be easy to overcome the amount invested in Goff, but added that ‘anything can be done’ in a salary ceiling system when asked if it could be are to continue. from the former No. 1 choice. Coach Sean McVay was also lukewarm in his public support of Goff, saying he is the quarterback “at the moment” when recently asked about Goff’s starting status in Los Angeles in 2021.
And Goff was aware that this off-season the Rams would likely weigh quarterback options, with some people in the league believing Goff would welcome a fresh start elsewhere. Goff has 18,171 passing yards, 107 touchdown passes, 55 interceptions and 42 regular season wins since entering the league in 2016.
The Rams may need to get creative if they hope to make a trade for Stafford. They don’t have a first-round pick in this year’s draft due to last season’s deal to acquire Jalen Ramsey. They have a second-round pick this year and a first-rounder in 2022.
The Lions and Stafford mutually agreed on a divorce last week. A source familiar with the situation told ESPN Saturday night that the Lions would be looking for “fair market value” for Stafford, who is the franchise leader in every major category that passes.
NFL teams began contacting the Lions about Stafford earlier this week, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Several teams have expressed interest in Stafford, with multiple league executives believing the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers, among others, will be involved.
Stafford prioritizes the chance to compete for championships above all else while finding a new NFL home, sources said.
Trading Stafford means $ 19 million in dead money to the Lions in 2021, saving Detroit $ 14 million in cap space for next season. There’s also some sort of deadline because Stafford has a $ 10 million roster bonus on the fifth day of the new league year, which starts on March 17th.
Perspective teams could try to renew Stafford’s contract to cultivate a long-term commitment.
Stafford will leave Detroit, each time he is traded, after throwing 45,109 yards and 282 touchdowns with 144 interceptions. The Lions played three times in the playoff with Stafford and lost all three times in the wildcard round.
ESPN’s Michael Rothstein and Lindsey Thiry contributed to this report.