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The Matthew Stafford sweepstakes have gotten interesting. Stafford requested a trade from the Lions earlier this week, which was reportedly accepted by the team’s leadership. All signs point towards him being elsewhere in 2021, and sportsbooks have the 49ers as the odds-on favorites to trade for him.
But there’s a new wrinkle. Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Stafford considers the Los Angeles Rams a “viable contender,” and the Rams have mulled trading for him.
Sources: Matthew Stafford considers the Rams a viable contender in his trade market with the Lions. While it’s unclear what the Rams can do with Jared Goff’s long-term deal on the books, they’ve explored the possibilities with Stafford.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 29, 2021
The obvious issue for the Rams is what happens with Jared Goff, who is due more than $128 million over the next four years. Much of that money, though, is not guaranteed. Per OverTheCap, trading away Goff would cost the Rams $22 million in dead cap, but save $12.75 million.
Stafford would cost $20 million if acquired, meaning the move would be a net negative of about $7.25 million for the Rams. That’s an exceedingly tricky proposition with the salary cap set to drop. Currently, the Rams are projected to be $31 million over the cap, which OverTheCap currently projects at $181.67 million, meaning a Stafford acquisition would leave them at $39 million over the cap at that figure.
If the 49ers acquired Stafford and moved Garoppolo either via trade or cut, they’d gain roughly $3 million in cap space.
