NFL Analyst Cautions Giants Against Trading for Matthew Stafford

There is one underlying reason why the New York Giants should stay away from acquiring the Rams quarterback this offseason, says one prominent analyst.

Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) in the tunnel against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

When it comes to the developing situation between quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, the key lesson that the New York Giants, who are reported to be a potential trade suitor if Stafford is made available to trade, must remember is that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. 

The Giants continue to find themselves at a major crossroads with the quarterback position. The NFL offseason is officially kicking into high gear, with the scouting combine leading the way into free agency and the draft in Green Bay less than two months away. 

With a room practically bare of sufficient arm talent, the Giants will need to dip their hands into both pools to come away with reinforcements for the franchise's short—and long-term future. The only issue is that the former ask is pressing down on them more than ever in light of the decree from ownership to capture more games than the three they amounted to in 2024 or face sweeping changes.

Stafford, whose time with the Rams could be coming to a close as he seeks a pay raise, is hanging around the rumor mill waiting to satisfy that need. The Rams are having a hard time justifying a new hefty contract for the 37-year-old who once carried them to the Super Bowl. The Rams have since allowed his reps to discern his potential value. 

But ESPN’s Aaron Schatz strongly believes that the Giants shouldn’t even be flirting with the idea of bringing Stafford over to the East Coast in a potential deal. His logic leans on the fact that the organization finds itself heading into an important offseason.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“There is a lot of discussion of Stafford getting traded by the Rams, with New York as the most likely destination,” Schatz said as part of his bold moves analysis for each NFL team. 

“The Giants need a quarterback, and Stafford is still playing at a high level. But are the Giants just a veteran quarterback away from winning?” 

Schatz goes on to say that the Giants acquiring Stafford might help save jobs for at least another year, but that’s about the only benefit.

“It's not the kind of move that will build a Super Bowl contender for the Giants. Instead, the Giants need to sit at No. 3 in the draft and hope that at least one of the two teams ahead of them doesn't take a quarterback,” he concluded 

While it certainly helps the cause in exploring a trade for the two-time Pro Bowl gunslinger, it isn’t so much Stafford's production or his fit in the Giants huddle presently constituted as the price that makes many folks steer away from being attracted to a partnership. 

As Stafford and his agents have fielded interest from a handful of teams, they’ve been reminded of the continued demand for a quarterback of his caliber and how the market has shifted to even greater heights for those players who have resumes of uplifted Ming offenses. 

Having a slew of teams willing to offer him a new paycheck in the same competitive range as his fellow position guys, Stafford reportedly seeks upwards of $50 million per year in a new agreement. Add to the unknown amount of draft capital the Giants would have to give to the Rams, which could be a first-round pick, and it’s a steep ask for what the team might be willing to sell. 

The Giants aren’t in as much financial straits when it comes to the cap space in 2025, but even with around $45 million in funds, the roster is littered with other positions that need a total revamp or extra assistance on the back end as injuries continue to be an annual problem. 

Money aside, if the Giants' winless record against their fellow NFC East foes in 2024 proved anything, the gap between them and those teams is still massive. The ability to be that division’s representative in a championship game isn’t likely on the dashboard.

Stafford has the grit from his Detroit days to jump into a lackluster offense and steer it into competitiveness again. He would partner up with a true No. 1 receiving threat in Nabers and have a bunch of other developing targets to play with. 

However, there is still work needed on the offensive line and the secondary for the work of an aging quarterback to matter on the scoreboard. 

And that is really what the Stafford murmurings have been about for the Giants. It’s a pathway for Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll, whose jobs are very much on the hot seat this season, to get back into the graces of ownership with a few more wins in 2025 and make it to the next with a chance to develop a future arm behind Stafford. 

If it doesn’t work out, though, the Giants are in more dire straits. They would likely be starting fresh with a new regime, and the goalpost to contention would be shifted back, leaving them with a veteran quarterback in the sunset years of his career with a lofty new deal that could saddle them like it did prior to this past season.

The most preferred and organic way to get the position back on track is to go through the draft, and the Giants still have a very good shot at meeting that goal. There will be a bunch of lower-cost options on the free agent market who can come in and be either a bridge man or secondary mentor, which allows the Giants to then build around them. 

It takes more than just a stellar quarterback to win in today’s league, and that’s another difference holding the Giants down from the rest of their division. A big trade for Stafford will not be the exception, in all likelihood.

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