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Rams give Matthew Stafford permission to seek trade: Does he stay or go?

It looks like Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is sort of on trade block, but also sort of not. Confusing? Yep. Let’s break it down.

Stafford can seek trade: Per multiple reports, the Rams gave permission to Stafford’s agent to seek a trade. However, this is not necessarily a “hey, we want to trade you.” It’s more of a “hey, go check out your value and let us know what you want to do.” Nick Roesch breaks it down more here:

“Despite the Rams stating that this is not a trade request by Stafford, it's very possible that is what it leads to. Whispers of Stafford potentially being interested in a change of scenery began when Los Angeles told star wide receiver Cooper Kupp that it plans on trading him during the offseason.

“There's a chance that some other teams value Stafford much more than the Rams do, leading to an eventual trade. For example, a team such as the Tennessee Titans feel as though they are just a QB away from being a legitimate contender, and could drive the price up to entice the L.A. to deal him.”

What’s the asking price? If the Rams do trade Stafford, one report noted that the asking price will likely be a first-round pick.

What’s Stafford’s cap hit? Stafford is due $49.666 million if he stays in L.A. If he’s traded, the Rams would have a whopping $45.333 million in dead money in 2025, but next year they would save $53.666 million in cap space. So, it may be worth keeping Stafford for one more year, but only if he’s interested in staying.

Which teams will be interested in Stafford? Several squads should be calling Stafford’s agent to check his availability. Some teams that should be interested include the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants.

What should the Rams do? Our staff writer AJ Schulte is of the belief that the Rams should not replace Stafford with a rookie QB in 2025:

“While I do believe that the Rams' collective ecosystem is well-equipped to handle a rookie quarterback, I don't believe that the Rams' roster is currently well-built to support one.

“At wide receiver, the Rams really need a full reset. L.A. currently has two receivers set to be under contract for next year after they move on from Cooper Kupp in Puka Nacua and Jordan Whittington. That's far from settling. Nacua is more a highly-effective schemed-up WR2 than elite WR1 and Whittington is a designed-touch role player.

“The team could certainly add players in the draft and free agency, but the free agent crop isn't exactly inspiring (Amari Cooper? Keenan Allen? In 2025?), and the 2025 NFL Draft doesn't boast a deep crop of the kind of playmakers the team really needs to evolve the offense.

“The offensive line also has some pressing needs to address. Both starting tackles could be gone next season, and the Rams had a rookie manning the center position last year.

“It's well-known how little enthusiasm there is in the 2025 NFL Draft regarding the crop of quarterbacks among scouts. The top of the draft is a close battle between Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, who will both likely go in the top five picks, and then it falls off a cliff into a wide-open mess of quarterbacks that can best be described as a shoulder shrug.”

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Zack Martin retires: 4 stats that show his greatness

Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin has officially called it a career after 11 seasons. It’s likely that Martin one day makes it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though there is a the question of whether he’ll be first-ballot.

Either way, anyone who has watched the Cowboys will know that Martin is one of the all-time greats. While Cowboys fans ponder potential replacements for Martin in 2025, our guy Mauricio Rodriguez threw together a list of four stats that show just how awesome Martin was throughout his career. Let’s take a look:

1. Martin earned All-Pro honors in 100% of his healthy seasons

“So here's the math I came across while writing the news on Zack Martin's season-ending injury last year:

-11 seasons in the NFL
-7 First-Team All-Pros
-2 Second-Team All-Pros

That makes only two years with no All-Pro honors of any caliber, both of which happened when he played only 10 games, including 2024. That's a wild stat by itself. With seven first-team All-Pros to his name, no guard in NFL history is more decorated.”

2. Seven career holding calls, seven All-Pro years

"According to Pro Football Reference, Martin has been called for seven holdings in his career. He's got seven first-team All-Pro seasons. If you want to do false starts, those are impressive as well. He's got eight of those versus nine total All-Pro honors.”

3. Some trivia on Odell Beckham Jr.'s rookie season

“[Odell] didn't run away with Offensive Rookie of the Year [in 2014]. His competition? Martin, who stole seven of 50 votes to end up as runner up for the award.”

4. Complete seasons

“In football, it is often said availability is the best ability. And for a long time, Martin had one of the best track records in the NFL as far as missing games goes. In four of his five years in the league, he missed zero games. The one exception was 2018, when he missed only a couple of matchups and still earned first-team All-Pro honors.”

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