Here’s the deal—when those Matthew Stafford trade rumors first popped up, they hit like a plot twist no one saw coming. I mean, we’re talking about the guy who led the Rams to a Super Bowl win in his first year with the team. And now he’s on the trade block? Yeah, that definitely wasn’t on any Rams fan’s offseason bingo card. Ever since then, the buzz has been all about Stafford possibly landing with Tom Brady’s Raiders.

But now? Well, let’s just say that door isn’t looking too open anymore. On Friday, Senior NFL Insider of the NFL for The Athletic, Dianna Russini hopped on her official ‘X’ handle and revealed that “Matthew Stafford will remain a Ram, per source.” Bet the Rams’ fans must be flashing a big ol’ grin right now.

Finally! The offseason brings a halt to quarterback concerns for one of the teams. Last week, the Los Angeles team reportedly permitted the Super Bowl winning QB to negotiate with other teams. At first it was expected that Stafford would stay put in L.A. However, considering he was looking for a backup plan just in case the Rams would want to move on from him, Stafford reportedly had a chat with the Raiders and the Giants.

Yeah, the two quarterback needy teams. According to the New York Post’s senior reporter, Paul Schwartz, the Giants reportedly discussed a $90-$100 million deal with Stafford for a couple of years’ long contract. If the Rams had traded him, the QB would have landed an average annual $45-$50 million deal. At the end of the day, it wasn’t necessary for Stafford at all.

And the Raiders? Well, Russini reported that the Las Vegas team also offered a deal in the same range as the Giants. Besides, Stafford and his wife, Kelly, reportedly preferred Las Vegas over New York. Turns out the QB and his wife are ready to stay in L.A. Now that Matthew Stafford and the Rams are staying put, the Giants and the Raiders are back to ground zero.

Long story short: the Giants are now looking for a veteran QB and the talk of the town is they’re eyeing Aaron Rodgers to take the helm in 2025. As for the Raiders, Tom Brady and Pete Carroll still have a lot of work to do. And it starts with the search of QB1. Once Again! However, one thing’s certain: Stafford and the Rams are ready to finalize an agreement now.

A new deal is in works for Matthew Stafford?

If we look at the past few days, it’s safe to say that Tom Brady’s Raiders were almost close to ending their QB dilemma and signing Matthew Stafford as their QB1. But here we are. Fox Sports NFL Insider, Jordan Schultz, reported that the Rams and the QB are finalizing an agreement to keep him in Los Angeles.

“Despite the relationship getting contentious at times, and significant interest from the Raiders and Giants, both sides were able to hash things out for him to stay in LA,” Schultz wrote on his official ‘X’ handle. However, none of the parties have revealed the new contract terms. As per his current contract terms, Stafford’s contract held salary cap hits of $49.7 million and $53.7 million, respectively, over the next two seasons with a $4 million roster bonus due in March.

Additionally, Rams’ head coach, Sean McVay, also admitted that there was no doubt the Rams wanted Stafford to be their QB1. He added that the team needed to “look at the short-term and the long-term” of what a new deal would mean for both sides. “The coolest thing you can say about Matthew is he shines the brightest on the biggest stages,” the HC said. “When you look at the seven playoff games that he’s played in since he’s been a Ram, he certainly gives you a chance every time you step out on the field.”

True! Take the last season, for instance. Stafford led the Rams to the postseason after a 10-7 regular season record, won the NFC West and reached the divisional round before losing to the Eagles. Statistically, the 37-year-old tallied 3,762 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions, and completing 65.8% of his passes.

Fast forward to now, the Rams and Matthew Stafford are expected to finalize the QB’s deal considering his contract extension will expire after the 2026 season. That said, the LA Rams’ fans can hope for another Lombardi in the next season now that the Super Bowl champ QB has returned home.