Matthew Stafford trade rumors: Steelers, Giants among teams eyeing Rams QB, who wants huge raise, per reports

After just four seasons in Los Angeles, Matthew Stafford could be leaving the Rams. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback has been given permission to speak with other teams so that he can gauge what his value might be on the open market and it’s a move that could open the door for the 37-year-old to leave L.A. 

With Stafford now possibly available in a trade, several teams have already shown some interest in the Rams quarterback. The Steelers, Browns, Raiders and Giants are among the teams that have “thrown their hats in the ring,” according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Of course, showing interest in Stafford and actually acquiring him in a trade are two totally different things. As things currently stand, Stafford is set to make just $27 million from the Rams in 2025 and he wants a substantial raise, which has created a standoff because the Rams don’t want to commit a big chunk of money into an aging quarterback. Stafford is looking for a deal that would pay him roughly $50 million per year, According to NFL Media’s Peter Schrager. 

If a team wants to trade for Stafford, it will almost certainly be costly: Not only will they likely have to give him the raise he wants, but they’ll also have to send several draft picks back to the Rams. 

So can any of these interested teams afford him? Here’s how much available cap space each of the interested teams currently has (via OverTheCap): 

• Raiders ($99.5 million in cap space). Pete Carroll knows Stafford well: The former Seahawks coach spent three seasons coaching against the Rams quarterback in the NFC West. He also coached against Stafford four times while the quarterback was in Detroit. The Raiders have the money to acquire Stafford and he would be a perfect bridge quarterback until the team can find its quarterback of the future. Also, Tom Brady is currently helping with the QB search and he’s knows how successful a team can be in the first year after adding a new veteran quarterback: Brady won a Super Bowl in his first year with the Buccaneers in 2020, and then, just one year later, Stafford won a Super Bowl in his first year with the Rams. The Raiders likely wouldn’t part ways with the sixth overall pick to land Stafford, but it wouldn’t be crazy to see them include the 37th overall pick as part of a package to land the Rams quarterback. 
• Steelers ($60.1 million). The Steelers have been in quarterback purgatory since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. Right now, the Steelers seem to be considering Justin Fields or Russell Wilson for the 2025 season, but if they want a quarterback who could put them over the top, Stafford would seem to be their best option. Stafford has won as many playoff games over the past four seasons (five) as the Steelers have over the past 15 years. The Steelers might have to be willing to give up the 21st overall pick to make a trade happen and it’s not clear if they’d be willing to do that. 
• Giants ($48.4 million). Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen are both going to be under a lot of pressure to win this year and adding Stafford might be their best option to win in 2025. The Giants struck gold in the 2024 draft with receiver Malik Nabers and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., and this team could take a huge step forward if they can find the right quarterback. If the Rams are looking to land a high draft pick, the Giants could make the 34th overall pick part of the deal. 
• Browns (-$24 million). Yes, that’s a negative sign. Cleveland is in cap hell right now. The Browns have started the process of making more cap room for 2025 — they are releasing Juan Thornhill in a move that will save them $3.4 million — but if they want to add someone like Stafford, they’re going to need to make several more moves to free up even more space. Also, with Myles Garrett trying to get traded OUT of Cleveland, Stafford might not be too excited about the idea of being traded to the Browns. 

We came up with several trade packages for Stafford, and you can check those out here. We’ve also got a list of several possible landings spots here. 

The Rams came one play away from beating the Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs, so it’s certainly possible that the Rams end up holding onto Stafford, but right now, there’s no guarantee he’s going to return to L.A., which makes him arguably the most intriguing name to watch over the next few weeks. 

The NFL Scouting Combine is usually a hot spot for trade talks and that will be kicking off this week with teams getting to Indianapolis on Monday, so it won’t be surprising if we hear more speculation about Stafford’s future over the next few days.