Speculation has been mounting that Stafford could be dealt by the Rams this offseason.
Is the Matthew Stafford the answer to the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback question this offseason?
With wide receiver Cooper Kupp already on the trade block, speculation has been rife that the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback could also be on the move as the Los Angeles Rams hit the soft reset on their franchise. As with any such speculation, so must come the hypothetical trades, which is naturally where the Vikings fit in.
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan put together three hypothetical trades for Matthew Stafford with the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Vikings as the listed teams making deals for the veteran quarterback. The Steelers and Giants were obvious listings considering their current holes at the position. New York has been heavily linked with a move for Stafford since the speculation began.
As for the Vikings, well, they don’t particularly have a need for a 37-year-old quarterback, but they do have one thing these types of hypotheticals like, a previous connection. Current Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was Stafford’s offensive coordinator during the 2021 season when the Rams won the Super Bowl. Stafford threw for 4,886 yards, 41 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while completing a career-high 67.2% of his passes that season.
Meanwhile, the Vikings have the conundrum of whether to bring back Sam Darnold, fresh off a career year, or move fully forward with J.J. McCarthy, who they took with the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft.
So, what does Sullivan suggest Minnesota give up for the rights to reunite Stafford and O’Connell? Only the team’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, No. 24 overall.
That’s going to be a swift no for multiple reasons.
Minnesota already has a serious lack of draft capital this year. Giving up its first-round pick this year would leave the Vikings with a third-round comp pick and two fifth-round picks.
The Vikings certainly have enough cap space to absorb the enormous cap hits that come with the final two years of Stafford’s deal ($49.6 million in 2025, $54.6 million in 2026). While that may be true, it would be rather unwise to give up all that cap space when there are so many holes on the defense that need filling.
Also, if Minnesota were going to delay the McCarthy era another year, it’s most likely going to be with the quarterback it already has in the system (Darnold) rather than trying to reintegrate Stafford back into O’Connell’s offense. Factor in the stark age difference between Stafford (37) and Darnold (28 at the start of the 2025 season), and this makes targeting a Stafford with this kind of a deal dead on arrival.