Matthew Stafford is returning to the Los Angeles Rams! After it looked like Stafford could be on his way out of L.A. via trade, the veteran quarterback and the team sat down and hammered things out. Could it have been as simple as the team saying "you don't really want to be a Jet, right?" Maybe!
Stafford was the biggest domino among NFL quarterbacks who could have been on the move. Now that his situation is settled, moves will start to happen with the other quarterbacks — not quite yet since free agency isn't open, but soon, we'll see where other big names on the market land.
And where will that be? Let's play matchmaker, pairing up some quarterbacks with potential landing spots.
Sam Darnold - Las Vegas Raiders
Should the Vikings keep Sam Darnold on a short deal and try to win with him in 2025 before moving on to J.J. McCarthy in 2026? Ideally, sure, but Darnold's not going to sign a one or two-year deal when a team like the Raiders will be willing to open up their wallets for Darnold.
If I'm Sam Darnold, I'm looking at how my career has gone so far and at the fact that the Vikings have their QB of the future already and I'm taking the money.
Maybe Darnold will ultimately turn back into a pumpkin when the clock strikes 2025, but for the Raiders, you have to take a swing at him. The No. 6 pick is too far down for the team to get Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, so if the Raiders want to compete in 2025, then they've got to take a risk. Darnold is coming off his best season, so betting on continued to success might be risky, but it's the right risk to take.
Russell Wilson - New York Jets
The Jets are moving on from Aaron Rodgers, but there's not really a path toward adding a young quarterback who can start in 2025. That likely means the team is looking for a stopgap option.
Russell Wilson isn't the same guy he was in Seattle, but he was solid in Pittsburgh last season, throwing 16 touchdowns and tossing interceptions on just 1.5% of his pass attempts, his lowest percentage since 2021 in Seattle.
Wilson isn't a game-changer, but there are no game-changers in this year's class. Adding a veteran who can manage the offense and make the occasional big play is a solid move for the Jets.
Aaron Rodgers - New York Giants
Okay, so this would be hilarious, right?
The Giants seemed like the favorites to land Stafford, who might have been the one available guy capable of turning the team into a contender.
Instead, it now sounds like they might end up with Aaron Rodgers, fresh off a disappointing tenure for the New York Jets.
Pack your bags, Aaron. You're heading down the hallway.
There's a very good chance Rodgers is done, but the Giants could opt to go after him instead of hoping a quarterback falls to pick No. 3. Or the team could draft a quarterback still anyway, letting either Sanders or Ward sit a year behind Rodgers.
It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. The Giants should not pursue Rodgers, but at the same time...NFL fans deserve to see funny things happen sometimes, which is why Rodgers and the Giants would be a great match for everyone who isn't invested in the Giants.
Justin Fields - Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers might strike out at quarterback this offseason, but bringing Justin Fields back and drafting someone like Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe isn't an awful backup plan.
Are there major concerns with Fields as a passer? Sure, but he completed 65.8% of his passes last year, the best mark of his NFL career, and threw just one interception.
Fields is also a top athlete, someone who brings a whole different dimension to the field with his legs. He scored five touchdowns last year.
After being thrust into the quagmire that was the Bears to start his career, Fields deserves at least one real year as an NFL starting quarterback on a solid team. Bring him back, Pittsburgh. Please.
Kirk Cousins - Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are done with Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback, but the financials aren't really going to work out to move on from him.
Would it be nice to see Cousins get a shot somewhere like Cleveland? Of course. That'd be great for both sides. It's just hard to see how it could work out.
The details of Cousins' contract just make it impossible for Atlanta to move him unless there's a big agreement to restructure things. Releasing him now costs the team $65 million in dead cap space, which is more than keeping him would cost. Even making him a post-June 1 cut would save zero dollars and would cost the same $40 million that keeping him would.
Now, trading him after June 1 would only put $12.5 million dead money on the 2025 cap, but it would put an additional $25 million on the 2026 cap, and that's also assuming you find a team with room for his base salary. Does anyone casually have $27.5 million in cap room to take on a 37-year-old Kirk Cousins? Probably not, leading to Cousins sticking around with the Falcons for another year.
Quick hits on some other names
Alright, no analysis here, but this where some other quarterbacks on the market should consider signing:
- Jacoby Brissett: Patriots
- Marcus Mariota: Raiders
- Joe Flacco: 49ers
- Jimmy Garoppolo: Colts
- Mason Rudolph: Steelers