Could the New York Giants be getting closer to landing their veteran bridge quarterback?
If that bridge signal-caller is Los Angeles Rams starter Matthew Stafford, that could very well be the case if a new report from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero is accurate.
Pelissero, appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, revealed that the Rams have given Stafford’s agent permission to explore other options and determine his market value.
“It certainly sounds as if the priority is for Stafford to return to the LA Rams, but again, this went all the way into July, if not August, last year before they were able to work out a deal,” Pelissero told Eisen. “We’ll see exactly what direction this goes.
“It would make sense for this to, one way or another, come to a head within the next few weeks here because everybody is going to need an alternative if they’re not able to work something out in LA.”
At the heart of the matter is money. Stafford is due a $4 million roster bonus by March 19, a bonus that if he’s still a member of the Rams, they would have to absorb on their salary cap books.
But if Stafford is traded to a new team, his $23 million base salary likely goes away as a new team is certain to redo his deal and pour more guaranteed money into it for the short term, which is reportedly what Stafford hopes to get.
Stafford’s first-year base salary with a new team could be reduced to as low as $10.5 million, covering his $4 million roster bonus and the $6.5 million option bonus that’s also part of his contract.
While a new contract would likely also include a signing bonus, the new team could easily add voidable years to help spread out the impact of the signing bonus on the current year’s cap.
The Rams have reportedly not ruled out retaining Stafford, but given this new development in which he’s free to explore the market, Stafford’s return to the Rams seems less certain.
The Giants, meanwhile, are expected to heavily invest in a bridge quarterback with experience winning games and performing in clutch situations. Stafford, who just turned 37 years old, fits that criteria.
Even if the Giants were to acquire Stafford via trade, that doesn’t necessarily preclude them from adding a quarterback in the draft if one they like is sitting there when they go on the clock.
The Giants have done extensive work on all the quarterbacks in this class, with strong attention reportedly paid to top prospects Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado.
There is also the matter of what the Rams will want for Stafford in a trade. If Los Angeles general manager Les Snead holds firm in demanding the Giants give up the third overall pick in this year’s draft, there is a very good chance the Giants decline and move on to their next option, which would be to pursue a veteran in free agency that wouldn’t cost them draft capital.
The NFL Combine begins next week in Indianapolis. Although Snead and Rams coach Sean McVay don’t usually attend the combine, that doesn’t mean there can’t and won’t be discussions with the Giants or any other potentially interested team in Staff, as the NFLPA is also holding one of its annual meetings for agents at the combine.
