Matthew Stafford's future with the Los Angeles Rams is now up in the air after the team granted the quarterback permission to speak to other teams about a possible move. This situation is being seen as a way for the veteran quarterback to learn his value in the league and not him requesting a trade.
Stafford himself hasn't spoken out about this situation, but Rams coach Sean McVay opened up about what he and the team hopes will happen regarding Stafford's future. McVay made it known that he hopes Stafford remains in Los Angeles, but it's a tricky deal.
He gave a bit more details about the thought process of the Rams giving Stafford permission to speak to other teams when appearing on the Fitz & Whit podcast on Tuesday.
"There is no dispute, and let's not get it twisted in regards to anybody wanting him to be our quarterback," McVay said. "Now, there's layers to it. You have to be able to say, 'Hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure that he's getting what is his worth relative to those things?' So, at the end of the day, we had something in mind, he had something in mind, and nobody was right or wrong. And then ultimately you're saying there's a ton of interest because this guy is an incredible player."
This seems to be a financial move by the Rams, too. In the original report by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he noted that having Stafford gauge his value among other teams will make it "easier" to get a new contract signed and to keep him in Los Angeles. And, it's important to note that the two sides agreed to an adjusted contract before the 2024 season, and it needed to be addressed again before the '25 season.
McVay emphasized how the Rams are just seeking out all of their options regarding Stafford, even if the main desire is to keep the 37-year-old in Los Angeles.
"There does have to be an element of understanding, well, what does that future look like without this freakin' G who's been our quarterback for the last four years?" McVay continued. "And there's no wrong or right way to go about it, but I do think for us to be able to make the most educated decision in terms of the cash budget that we operate on, the draft comp that you would get in return, you just need to be able to have all the parameters to at least explore it. Don't have to do anything in secret, want to make sure that we're all abreast of the situation, even though the first goal in mind is to have you come back here as the quarterback."
We'll see what comes about this offseason regarding Stafford's future as he likely enters the final years of his NFL career.
