Another superstar quarterback could be headed to the AFC West in 2025. According to multiple reports, the Los Angeles Rams are allowing star quarterback Matthew Stafford and his representation to speak with other teams to gauge his overall value, and there is the potential that he could be traded as a result of this.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 22, 2025Echoing reporting from @TomPelissero: The #Rams have given permission for Matthew Stafford’s agent to speak with other teams about his value. This is not a trade request.
Instead, the Rams and Stafford can gain a better understanding of his value outside the team, potentially… pic.twitter.com/ouYiIQtcr9
As Rap Sheet states in his post here, this is not a trade request by Matthew Stafford, but where there's smoke, there's fire. Stafford could certainly end up finishing his career as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, or the Rams could take a similar path as we've seen in recent years from teams like the Packers and Seahawks, trading away an aging quarterback for maximium value before it's too late.
It just so happens that one of the Denver Broncos' top rivals is one of the most quarterback-needy teams in the NFL at the moment.
Could Matthew Stafford become a new Broncos rival with the Raiders?
The Las Vegas Raiders have one of the biggest needs for a quarterback in the NFL, and they own the 6th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That's not exactly prime NFL Draft real estate to get the top guy on their board, nor is it a pick the Raiders would likely be comfortable giving up for a quarterback who is 37 like Stafford.
But this is the NFL, and teams/coaches/executives are desperate for results. The Raiders added Tom Brady to the ownership group recently and Brady himself went to a new NFL city and won a Super Bowl, just like Stafford did shortly after him. It's not impossible to think that the Raiders -- who just hired Pete Carroll as their new head coach -- could be interested in a veteran like Stafford for the time being while looking to the 2026 NFL Draft for long-term solutions.
There should be a number of teams thinking this way. The 2025 NFL Draft class at quarterback is not considered elite by any stretch. It's very much in the 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' category. And for a team like the Raiders, would it be preferable to roll the dice on Stafford this year and see what he can do with Brock Bowers as his top target?
I'm sure the Raiders could talk themselves into it.
There would be multiple suitors for Stafford, in all likelihood, if he were to leave the Rams. Again, that's not a foregone conclusion at this point and it's not even being reported that the Raiders would have interest in the event that Stafford is traded. This is pure speculation on my part, but they would make a lot of sense given their draft situation.
And if that's the case, it could be another superstar QB joining the AFC West in 2025. You never know in the NFL...
