The Los Angeles Rams are once again navigating offseason rumors surrounding Matthew Stafford’s contract and potential trade. While the expectation remains that Stafford will stay with the team for the 2025 season, speculation about Aaron Rodgers joining the Rams persists.
Rodgers, nearly five years older than Stafford, is coming off a 5-12 season with the New York Jets after missing most of 2024 due to a torn Achilles suffered in Week 1.
According to an anonymous NFL general manager, Rodgers could replace Stafford in Los Angeles.
“Based on recent reports, public statements, and ongoing NFL rumors, one experienced GM has a prediction regarding the futures of Stafford and Rodgers,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote on February 22. “Step one: Stafford gets traded to the Giants. Step two: Rodgers signs with the Rams.”
Florio added that Rodgers may be willing to take a team-friendly deal to play for the Rams. “Again, it’s just a prediction, but it’s coming from someone with inside knowledge of how the NFL operates.”
Rumors linking Rodgers to the Rams have gained traction amid Stafford trade discussions.
Rodgers, 41, is a 10-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, and Super Bowl champion. In 2024, he completed 63% of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Over the final 10 weeks of the season, he posted 2,234 yards, 18 touchdowns, and four interceptions with a 64% completion rate.
Currently in the second year of a three-year, $112.5 million contract, Rodgers has earned an NFL-record $381.7 million over his career, according to Over The Cap. The site also projects the Rams will have $44.4 million in cap space this offseason.
Matthew Stafford Still a ‘Killer’ in Postseason
Matthew Stafford, 37, threw for 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions during the 2024 season. Through the first 12 weeks, he completed 66.5% of his passes for 2,800 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, failing to reach a 60% completion rate in just one game.
However, from Weeks 13 to 17, Stafford had three games where his completion rate dropped below 60%. He then sat out the regular season finale to rest before the playoffs.
Despite his late-season struggles, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue noted that Stafford regained his form in the postseason.
“Through the back third or so of the 2024 season, he played poorer football than I have seen from him in his time in L.A.,” Rodrigue wrote on February 20. “He managed more games than he directly won during that span. He also admitted he didn’t play well. However, in the playoffs, he turned back into an absolute killer.”
Stafford posted 538 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions with a 63.4% completion rate in the postseason. He also had two games above 70% completion and helped lead the Rams to five straight wins to close the regular season. The Rams ultimately fell 28-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Playoff.
The Eagles, who went on to win the Super Bowl, defeated their other three postseason opponents by an average of 17.3 points.
Eagles cornerback Darius Slay echoed Rodrigue’s praise, calling the Rams their toughest playoff challenge.
“I think the closest team to us, honestly, in this postseason was the Rams. I think the Rams had the best chance of beating us in the whole postseason, in my opinion,” Slay said in a February 20 interview with “NFL Digest.” “They could get out to the quarterback, but they could not stop the run … as good. But they had a great offense. Like a great offense. They was good at what they did.”
Amid trade speculation, Stafford’s wife, Kelly, also questioned rumors about the Rams potentially moving on from her husband.
Pelissero: Rams Not Yet Negotiating Matthew Stafford Trade Compensation
These endorsements may help explain why the Rams have allowed Stafford’s camp to explore potential contracts with other teams. However, their primary focus isn’t trade compensation—at least not yet—but rather determining what kind of deal the two-time Pro Bowler could secure on the open market.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who reported the news on February 21, the Rams are working with Stafford to assess their options.
“It gives the Rams—and Stafford—an idea of, ‘Hey, we’re going to try to work together. Are we going to be able to work out a new contract to keep him in LA?’” Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show. “This applies to a trade as well. If a team is giving up a significant asset—let’s say a second-round pick—they’ll want to know: ‘Are we getting this guy for one year? Two years? Three years?’”
Pelissero also clarified that the Rams have not yet started negotiating trade compensation. “Right now, it’s about figuring out the numbers—what would it take to keep Stafford in LA, and what would his contract look like elsewhere? That’s the focus at this stage.”
Still, speculation continues to swirl regarding Stafford’s potential move to the Giants—where his brother-in-law is on the coaching staff—and Rodgers possibly stepping in as his replacement in Los Angeles as the offseason kicks off.
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