Rams Exec Fiercely Denies Team Tried to Trade Matthew Stafford

The franchise’s COO shut down reports that the organization was looking to deal its star quarterback.

Amid rumors that the Rams were aggressive in trying to trade quarterback Matthew Stafford this offseason, COO Kevin Demoff attempted to clear the air, saying that those reports were entirely untrue.

NFL Network analyst Mike Lombardi claimed on “The Pat McAfee Show” earlier in July that Los Angeles “attempted, with a lot of effort” to trade Stafford, due to the $59 million option in his contract that became guaranteed on the third day of the league year.

During an appearance on the “11 Personnel” podcast, Demoff poured cold water on those reports, indicating the Rams had no thoughts about a potential trade of their quarterback this offseason.

Demoff iterated that had the Rams wanted to move on from Stafford, they’d have been able to do so at no cost after the 2022 NFL season. 

“I know there are reports that we tried to trade Matthew. We were not actively trying to trade Matthew,” Demoff said.

“The part that frustrated me was this notion that we were trying to get away from the $59 million and that was the only way to do it through trade.... Matthew’s dollars after 2022 were unguaranteed. We could’ve walked away this year, free and clear, for $0. No future money owed... If we wanted out of Matthew’s deal, we could’ve walked away.”

By picking up the option on Stafford’s contract, the Rams guaranteed him the $59 million, reiterating their commitment to their Super Bowl-winning quarterback. 

In 2022, Stafford featured in just nine games for Los Angeles, going 3–6 as the starting quarterback. He threw 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions while completing 68% of his passes.