The first big domino in the quarterback market may be ready to fall.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams are meeting Friday to discuss his future with the franchise as the Giants and Raiders have expressed interest, according to The Athletic.
A decision regarding whether he’ll stay in California, move to Sin City or head to the Big Apple should happen soon, per the report.
Stafford and the Rams could be divorcing since the 37-year-old quarterback is seeking potentially one final mᴀssive payday, and Los Angeles doesn’t seem to want to go to the $50 million range he is reportedly after.
Rumblings at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis had Stafford likely landing a short-term, high-pay deal with a new team that could reach $55 million per season, according to The Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.
Stafford is set to make $27 million this upcoming season, which is far short of what top-tier quarterbacks will earn next season, although his cap hit is $49.7 million.
The sides reportedly want the saga to end before March 14, when he is due a $4 million bonus.
The Rams have already allowed Stafford to talk to other teams, which includes the quarterback-needy Giants and Raiders.
The Giants met with Stafford’s camp this week at the NFL combine, a source confirmed to The Post.
Raiders minority owner Tom Brady recently engaged with Stafford in Montana, although there are differing reports as to the lengths of which the two chatted.
A potential move could come down to which team offers the better financial package and/or which franchise proposes the better compensation package for the Rams.
If the teams are in a similar financial range, it could then be decided by where Stafford, wife Kelly and his four daughters want to spend the next few years before the quarterback potentially retires.
The Giants have been awful for quite some time and reside in the same division as the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles.
The Raiders have also been down bad and play in the ultra-compeтιтive AFC West that features the conference champion Chiefs and two other playoff teams.
Once Stafford’s future is set, it will set off a chain of events that will affect free-agent quarterbacks like soon-to-be ex-Jet Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields, who spent the past season with the Steelers.
Rodgers’ friend, Pat McAfee, hinted the four-time league MVP would love to land in L.A.
The Stafford decision will also influence the top of the 2025 NFL Draft, since the Giants pick third and the Raiders are slotted at No. 6. That, in theory, could mean neither selects a quarterback.
