Los Angeles Rams explore business scenarios for Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford



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Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford sees the Los Angeles Rams as a viable candidate in his business market, sources told ESPN on Friday.

While it’s unclear what the Rams can do with quarterback Jared Goff’s long-term deal, they did find out about Stafford’s services and explored what it would take to do something with it. Detroit, according to sources.

Cutting Goff would cost the Rams $ 65.2 million in dead money; swapping it would cost $ 22.2 million. Goff signed a four-year, $ 134 million extension with $ 110 million guaranteed in the 2019 offseason after Goff and the Rams made it to the Super Bowl.

The Lions front office is aware of the Rams salary cap situation. GM Brad Holmes was a longtime Rams executive before landing his GM job in Detroit this month.

Rams general manager Les Snead said earlier this week that it would not be easy to get over the amount of money invested in Goff, but added that “anything can be done” in a salary cap system when ‘he was asked if it would be possible to move on. former No.1 pick. Coach Sean McVay has also been lukewarm in his public support for Goff, saying he is the quarterback “right now” when he was recently asked about the status of Goff as a 2021 Los Angeles starter.

And Goff knew the Rams would likely weigh quarterback options this offseason, with some in the league believing Goff would be happy about a fresh start elsewhere. Goff has 18,171 passing yards, 107 touchdown passes, 55 interceptions and 42 regular season wins since joining the league in 2016.

Last week, the Lions and Stafford agreed to a split. A source familiar with the situation told ESPN on Saturday night that the Lions would seek “fair market value” for Stafford, who is the franchise leader in all major overtaking categories.

NFL teams began contacting the Lions about Stafford earlier this week, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Several teams are interested in Stafford, with several league executives believing the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers, among others, will be involved.

Stafford prioritizes the chance to compete for championships above all in the process of finding a new home in the NFL, sources said.

Stafford’s trade will mean $ 19 million in dead money for the Lions in 2021, saving Detroit $ 14 million in cap space for next season. There’s also sort of a deadline, as Stafford has a $ 10 million bonus due to the fifth day of the league’s new year, which begins on March 17.

Prospective teams could attempt to extend Stafford’s contract to cultivate long-term engagement.

Stafford will leave Detroit, each time he’s traded, having thrown for 45,109 yards and 282 touchdowns with 144 interceptions. The Lions made three playoff appearances for Stafford, losing three times in the wildcard round.

ESPN’s Michael Rothstein and Lindsey Thiry contributed to this report.

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