There seems to be some smoke around the idea that the Los Angeles Rams could trade Matthew Stafford this offseason, and the New York Giants should make the move. I mean, this is the common opinion, right? The New York Giants have the third overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the best QB prospect that might be on the board when their third pick rolls around is Shedeur Sanders, who probably would have been a second or third round pick had he come out for the 2024 NFL Draft.
It's a tough situation for the Giants, who wrongly invested a $160 million contract extension into Daniel Jones. And then to top it off, they totally passed up on a QB in the 2024 NFL Draft. They let Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr, and JJ McCarthy pass them by in favor of Malik Nabers.
And now, unless something major happens, the Giants are essentially forced to take a QB with the third pick, even if they don't have a high first-round grade on any of them. The solution for this team and for the sake of people keeping their jobs in New York is to trade the third overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford.
Here is NFL insider Tom Pelissero on the situation:
💻 @TomPelissero
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 21, 2025
Could Matthew Stafford really end up playing somewhere other than Los Angeles in 2025? When might a decision be made on his #NFL home?#NFLCombine #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/T4KFvFZHbN
It does sound like there is a possibility that Matthew Stafford could be playing for a new team in 2025. And perhaps with the iffy relationship between Stafford and the Rams front office, you have to wonder if the veteran QB wants to stick it to his old team, and there might not be a more desperate team for immediate and long-term QB production than the New York Giants.
It did seem like the Giants almost reluctantly brought Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll back for 2025. It makes you think that the two have a 'playoff mandate' this year. Well, none of the QBs in the 2025 NFL Draft are going to lead the Giants to the postseason this year.
This could force GM Joe Schoen to be aggressive - and trading the third overall pick for Matthew Stafford is aggressive, but it also reeks of desperation. The Giants do have some nice pieces here and there like left tackle Andrew Thomas, wide receiver Malik Nabers, and defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns.
I guess you could argue that the Giants could be come a frisky Wild Card team with Matthew Stafford, but the NFC East also does now seem like a top division in the NFL. Given how poorly Joe Schoen has run the Giants, it could force him to be a bit aggressive and desperate to find some QB production in 2025.