The 2025 offseason was expected to be a quarterback bloodbath. Justin Fields was looking for a new home, Aaron Rodgers had burned bridges in New York, and Matthew Stafford? Everyone believed that he would be the first domino to fall. From Vegas to Pittsburgh, Stafford’s name kept coming up in discussions with rumors of dissatisfaction in Los Angeles and the Rams’ roster change.
The Steelers wanted him, and the Giants prepared contracts. The Raiders had Tom Brady’s stamp of approval and nearly $100M in guarantees ready to go. But in the end, nothing budged. No plane rides. No pressers. Not even a trade call with momentum. Why? Stafford didn’t flinch. The Rams didn’t blink. And everyone else got played.
During a telling segment on The Rich Eisen Show, Albert Breer revealed that several clubs, including the Raiders, Giants, and Steelers, seriously considered dealing for Stafford. However, they all encountered the same brick wall: “They [Steelers] did throw their hat in the ring on Matthew Stafford. They were like, you know, pretty much everybody else that the Giants and Raiders were sort of in this category too, where it was like, do we really think that he’s going to leave Los Angeles? Do we really think that he’s going to leave Sean McVay? No,” Breer said.
He continued, “So you know, like they [Steelers] did check back. They did touch base with the Rams about potentially trading for uh Matthew Stafford, but they never really believed that was going to happen.” Pittsburgh dabbled in the idea. The Giants did the same. The Raiders were nearly convinced. However, Stafford never put his foot out the door, so none of them fell for the illusion, Breer said. This wasn’t a negotiation; it was a game of leverage. And Stafford performed like a Super Bowl MVP.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA 2024: Rams vs Jets DEC 22 Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford 9 calls out the play during the NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in East Rutherford. Christopher Szagola/Cal Media/Sipa USA Credit Image: Christopher Szagola/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA East Rutherford MetLife Stadium New Jersey United States of America NOxUSExINxGERMANY PUBLICATIONxINxALGxARGxAUTxBRNxBRAxCANxCHIxCHNxCOLxECUxEGYxGRExINDxIRIxIRQxISRxJORxKUWxLIBxLBAxMLTxMEXxMARxOMAxPERxQATxKSAxSUIxSYRxTUNxTURxUAExUKxVENxYEMxONLY Copyright: xCalxSportxMediax Editorial use only
Mike Florio of NBC Sports also claimed that the Giants and Raiders were both totally focused. They weren’t just interested, they were writing checks. “At the end of the day, the Raiders (and to a similar extent the Giants) served as Stafford’s leverage in his effort to get the Rams to give him more money,” Florio revealed. In an attempt to pry Stafford away from Los Angeles and support their own rebuilds, the two teams reportedly offered him guarantees ranging from $90 million to $100 million over a two-year period. Instead, they became pawns.
Stafford had no intention of departing. He was just re-negotiating. And he used Las Vegas and New York like poker chips. The outcome? A renegotiated two-year contract worth $84 million with the Rams, which includes a $80 million guarantee, effectively locked him in for what might be the final act of his career. Stafford now heads into 2025 with a $47.5M cap hit, a $24M signing bonus, and a ‘no trade, no doubt’ relationship with Sean McVay. He’s not just staying. He’s staying on his terms. But as Stafford doubled down on his loyalty to the Rams, two teams that were desperate for a quarterback, the Raiders and the Steelers, were crushed.
The $84M QB that never came
Matthew Stafford was their bridge quarterback, and both teams were banking on him. Both walked away with nothing. Without the McVay-Stafford trust pipeline, they were just leverage bait. That left Brady’s Raiders empty-handed—yet again.
Matthew Stafford wasn’t just on Pittsburgh’s radar, as Adam Schefter disclosed; he was Plan A. When that failed, they went after Justin Fields. That didn’t work either. Their third pick was Aaron Rodgers. “This was the best move that the Pittsburgh Steelers could make right now, but let’s also remember that this was the third option for the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Schefter stressed. After a turbulent spring, the Steelers finally offered Rodgers a one-year contract. His arrival in Pittsburgh came as a surprise, and his departure from the Jets was a catastrophe.
In one of the wildest quarterbacking sequences this offseason:
After experimenting with two teams, Stafford remained with the Rams.
Fields declined to re-sign with Pittsburgh and chose the Jets.
Rodgers did end up with the Steelers, but as a third choice.
And the Raiders missed out on all three.
The result? With a shaky-but-talented Rodgers offense that includes rookie Will Howard, Pat Freiermuth, and Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh walks into 2025. The Raiders, led by quarterback Tom Brady, start the season with a huge hole under center and a new reminder that not all Hail Marys end up in the end zone. Matthew Stafford isn’t just staying in Los Angeles; he’s staying untouchable. Even as other teams lined up with millions, he made it clear: if the Rams were willing to spend this much, he wasn’t leaving Sean McVay.
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