Giants Called Rams On Matthew Stafford Before 2024 Deadline; Team Eyeing Shedeur Sanders?
One two of the hottest seats in the NFL, Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll are carrying a quarterback depth chart without any names. While Tommy DeVito is expected to be tendered as an ERFA and retained, the Giants’ pursuit of a starter — and perhaps a backup — will define their offseason.
A recent report suggested the team will be interested in pairing a veteran and a rookie to join DeVito on the 2025 roster, and while this year’s free agent class (particularly if Sam Darnold is taken off the board via the franchise tag) is not especially impressive, Matthew Stafford trade buzz persists. The Giants have been mentioned as a team interested in swinging a deal, and ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan notes their interest in the talented passer stretches back to before last year’s trade deadline.
[RELATED: Giants Not Prepared To Trade No. 3 Pick For Stafford]
The Giants inquired about the Rams quarterback’s availability before that point, per Raanan. The Rams, who started 1-4 as injuries mounted early in the season, also received inquiries on Cooper Kupp. A Giants-Stafford partnership would have been odd at that point, too, considering their sluggish start. But the parties are being closely tied together now due to the latest Rams-Stafford contract issue.
While Kupp is not expected to be part of their 2025 roster, the Rams are believed to want Stafford back. But the QB is eyeing a bigger commitment, seeking to join the ballooning $50MM-per-year club. While Stafford’s talent and performance warrant inclusion, the Rams are not certain to move into that territory for a player going into an age-37 season. Of the QBs on such contracts, none is older than 31.
The Rams are running out of time to find a solution with Stafford, whom they have let speak with other teams for a bit now. Stafford would give the Giants a locked-in starter, and it would stand to reason they would pass on this year’s underwhelming lot of QB prospects and focus on bettering their roster around the 16-year veteran. But the Giants are also still being linked to arms in this class. Some around the league believe Shedeur Sanders is their preferred arm in this year’s class, Raanan adds. The Giants have been tied to the Colorado QB for months and will meet with him on a “30” visit soon. Even though Cam Ward was viewed as New York’s preference in early January, the Miami transfer may not be there at No. 3.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the draft; we don’t know who’s going to be there,” Schoen said at the Combine. “When we get around these kids, they may or may not be fits for us. We’re going to have to address the position somewhere. Even if you get a young quarterback, you’d like to have a vet in the room with them to show them the ropes and how to be a pro. We’re looking at all different avenues.
“We’re going to look at vets. We’re going to look at the draft. We’re going to look at trade candidates. We’re going to look under every rock to find the best prospect for us going into the ’25 season.”
The Giants would have a decent shot to land one of the top two arms in this class. The Titans and Browns have each been linked to trading down — though, teams annually are tied to doing so — while Schoen said (via the LandOnDemand.com’s Tony Grossi) the Giants are open to moving up or down. Colorado two-way phenom Travis Hunter has been connected to the top spot, while Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter has as well. Those prospects would stand to provide the Titans with better value, but the team also could be readying a move back to recoup assets (perhaps via the QB-needy Raiders) to start GM Mike Borgonzi‘s tenure.
The Giants tried to swing a trade to land Drake Maye last year but passed on the Michael Penix Jr.–J.J. McCarthy–Bo Nix contingent at No. 6. The Patriots passed on a trade offer that included the team’s 2025 first-round pick. The Giants would probably balk at dealing No. 3 for Stafford, but the Rams will certainly ask about that pick, as they are eyeing a first-rounder in a potential swap. The team’s No. 34 choice and more would stand to be in play for Stafford.
John Mara kept Daboll and Schoen after a 3-14 season, but a similar showing in 2025 will almost definitely lead the duo out of town. Even starting the season slowly would likely put jobs in jeopardy. Stafford does not hold a no-trade clause, but like Aaron Rodgers in 2023, it would stand to reason he would need to greenlight his destination since a team will be both giving up notable assets for him and authorizing a big-ticket contract. While the Giants do not match the Rams for roster talent or coaching acumen, being willing to give Stafford a raise makes them a team to monitor. Though the Giants still have Daniel Jones dead money ($22.2MM) on their books, that would be unlikely to impede a Stafford swap due to the power brokers’ hot-seat statuses.
Although it would stand to reason for Stafford to prefer staying in the system he knows, as he has signed four lucrative contracts in a career that dates back to a pre-rookie-scale-era Lions deal, money may be a more critical factor here. That would stand to benefit the Giants and other teams in pursuit.
Chargers Have Discussed Extension With Rashawn Slater
The Chargers have discussed a contract extension with left tackle Rashawn Slater, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
“We’ve had conversations,” said general manager Joe Hortiz (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim). “I love Rashawn. And Rashawn is a great player, and he helps us win football games, so I’d love Rashan to be around for a long time.”
Slater has been one of the league’s best left tackles since being drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. His rookie season featured Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors, as well as a fourth-place finish in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. A torn biceps prematurely ended his second year, but he bounced back with a solid season in 2023 and another Pro Bowl nod in 2024.
The Chargers picked up Slater’s fifth-year option last March and are set to pay him just over $19MM this year. A long-term extension could lower his cap hit considerably, giving Los Angeles even more money for free agency next month.
Slater, who will turn 26 in March, will likely seek a top-of-the-market left tackle contract. For comparison, fellow 2021 first-rounder Christian Darrisaw signed a $26MM APY extension with the Vikings heading into his age-26 season in 2024. With another significant cap increase this offseason, Slater will likely surpass that number and could even push to match the $27.5M per-year salary of Trent Williams.
Both Hortiz and director of player personnel strategy Corey Krawiec came up in Baltimore, where the Ravens have a history of extending franchise cornerstones. Slater would certainly fall under that category as a premier left tackle, making an extension with the Chargers seem like an inevitability.
Colts’ New QB Will Compete With Anthony Richardson
The Colts are planning to add a quarterback this offseason and hold an “open” competition with Anthony Richardson for the starting quarterback job, according to general manager Chris Ballard.
“It’s got to be the right guy to create real competition,” said Ballard (via ESPN’s Stephen Holder), adding that such competition would be good for Richardson and the team as a whole. The Colts have struggled to develop Richardson since taking him fourth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, in no small part due to his injuries. The 22-year-old has missed 17 of 34 regular season games since being drafted, which is especially detrimental to a player who was considered a raw prospect coming out of college.
“We drafted Anthony high knowing it was going to take some time and we knew there’s going to be some hiccups along the way,” continued Ballard. “I know we all want a finished product right now…But I think as he continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”
The Colts still believe that Richardson can eventually refine his physical gifts into a more finished product on the field. They hope that the competition will spur faster improvements while giving them an alternate option at quarterback to remain competitive if Richardson struggles.
“We’ve had good conversations,” said Ballard. “Anthony’s accepted all of it. He understands there needs to be some growth and there’s work.”
Both Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen mentioned consistency as a key area of improvement for Richardson. He completed a league-low 47.7% of his passing attempts in 2024 with a league-high 4.5% interception rate.
As for the new quarterback, Ballard said that the Colts will be looking to free agency, the draft, and even the trade market. Their investment will reflect their faith in Richardson to develop into a franchise quarterback. Spending a first-round pick or pursuing a premium veteran like Sam Darnold would signal a willingness to move on from Richardson just two years after drafting him. A later draft pick or lesser free agent like Mac Jones would indicate more belief in Richardson’s ability to overcome a slow start to his career. Justin Fields may be an ideal blend of investment and starting potential, especially since his mobility would fit well in Indianapolis’s offense.
Giants Won’t Move No. 3 Pick For Matthew Stafford; Rams Unwilling To Meet $50MM Asking Price?
The Giants are interested in trading for Matthew Stafford, but the No. 3 pick is (unsurprisingly) off-limits in a potential deal, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
New York’s second-round pick (No. 34 overall) would likely be a “starting point” in negotiations with the Rams, per Duggan, though that would also mean that the Giants are willing to meet Stafford’s financial demands.
He reportedly wants $50MM per year, which would represent a 25% increase on the $40MM APY of his current deal. The Rams, for their part, are willing to give Stafford a raise of some sort, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. However, they are not believed to be comfortable giving him the upper-echelon quarterback contract he’s seeking. The Rams clearly didn’t feel comfortable meeting his asking price, which is why they’re allowing Stafford to speak with other teams. He can assess his value and decide if his future is in Los Angeles or elsewhere.
Fowler said that he expects the Steelers and the Giants to explore acquiring Stafford in the coming weeks. Both teams are seeking stability at quarterback after multiple years of turmoil under center, though spending premium draft capital and $50MM per year on Stafford may not be a long-term solution.
Stafford wants his contract situation to be “resolved fairly soon,” per Fowler, who believes the veteran quarterback’s future is still with the Rams. Los Angeles would want to reach an agreement with Stafford as soon as possible to clarify their salary cap picture ahead of free agency.
Long-Term Deal Coming For RG Trey Smith In Kansas City?
An earlier report today discussed how, despite the difficulty the Chiefs would face in adding another eight-figure-per-year deal to their ledger, general manager Brett Veach felt “pretty optimistic” about extending right guard Trey Smith to a long-term deal. An even more recent report from Nate Taylor of The Athletic tell us that there’s “growing optimism” that Kansas City will sign Smith to a five-year deal soon. 
Taylor dropped the news on the Only Weird Games podcast, changing the perspective a bit on the Chiefs’ chances to extend their impressive young guard. Depending on the franchise tag statuses of quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Tee Higgins, Smith has a chance to land one of the largest contracts (per annual average value) in free agency this offseason.
Coming into 2025, the Chiefs already have Patrick Mahomes ($45MM per year), Chris Jones ($31.75MM), Jawaan Taylor ($20MM), Creed Humphrey ($18MM), Joe Thuney ($16MM), and potentially Travis Kelce ($17.13MM) on deals averaging eight figures per year. With three of those big salaries already coming along the offensive line and all but one on the offensive side of the ball, it seemed relatively unlikely that we would see Kansas City dedicate yet another big-money, long-term deal to that particular area of the team. Nevertheless, Taylor seems to be indicating that it’s more likely than we presumed.
Since getting drafted in the sixth round in 2021, Smith has consistently been a top-15 guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), grading out as high as the 10th-best guard in the league last year. It took him until this year to be recognized for those efforts, as he earned his first career Pro Bowl invite in 2024, though two Super Bowl rings are probably decent consolation.
We have heard plenty about the Smith situation over the past several months. The Bears have been linked to reuniting him with Ryan Poles, who was on the Chiefs’ staff when they drafted Smith. The Chiefs are not expected to tag the guard, as the position is rarely tagged, due to all offensive linemen being grouped together under the tag formula, meaning that tackles drive up the tag prices for guards. The team will have until 11am CT on March 10 to negotiate exclusively with Smith’s camp. Considering Smith has made it this far, it would take a monster offer to keep him from speaking with other teams.
While the “growing optimism” is surely encouraging, the Chiefs have work to do. It sounds like the groundwork is being laid to establish Smith as the right guard of the future in Kansas City, but they have not crossed the finish line yet. The upcoming NFL Scouting Combine serves as an unofficial tampering period, and the Pro Bowl blocker will probably learn more about who is interested this week while getting an idea of his value. A deal that eclipses Landon Dickerson‘s guard-record extension (four years, $84MM) should be expected, as the cap is again spiking by more than $20MM, and Smith will have the leverage of a tantalizing open market that is sure to reward him handsomely.
Regardless, it seems that things are trending in the right direction for Kansas City to hold on to their talented, consistent, young guard. The sooner they can push this deal across the finish line, the better for the team. Either way, Smith is fast on his way to securing the big bucks and solidifying himself as a household name in the NFL.
Kirk Cousins To Remain Falcons’ QB2
The Falcons are planning to move forward with Kirk Cousins on the roster, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Cousins was tabbed for an offseason release after he was benched for the last three games of the 2024 season. After the season ended, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said that Cousins would remain in Atlanta as the backup quarterback behind Michael Penix.
Fontenot restated those plans at the Combine, adding, “We have to do what’s right for the Falcons,” per D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cousins’ contract has created a complicated situation in Atlanta. His $27.5MM base salary in 2025 is fully-guaranteed, making a pre-June 1 release almost impossible for the cap-strapped Falcons. A 2026 roster bonus worth $10MM will become fully-guaranteed on March 17, per OverTheCap, which would increase the dead cap hits resulting from a post-June 1 release.
Trading Cousins would allow the Falcons to pass on Cousins’ remaining salary and roster bonuses, but the struggles that led to his benching will likely dissuade any team from giving up draft picks and taking on his contract. Cousins has been linked with the Browns on multiple occasions, but only as a free agent signing, not a trade acquisition.
Cousins’ health also remains a concern. The 36-year-old was noticeably immobile in 2024 after recovering from a torn Achilles the season before. He also suffered injuries to his right shoulder and elbow in Week 10 that contributed to his downturn in play. With such a sizable contract, Cousins is unlikely to draw trade interest until he proves that he can be a healthy, starting-caliber quarterback.
All indications suggest that the Falcons are willing to play out the situation until a more palatable solution presents itself, either via trade or release further down the line. It’s worth noting that the Broncos opted to move on from Russell Wilson – even if it mean absorbing the largest dead cap hit in league history – so that Sean Payton could get a clean start with Bo Nix under center. If Cousins’ continued presence on the roster serves as a distraction, Atlanta may opt for a clean break rather than holding out hope of recouping some value in a trade.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/25/25
Tuesday’s only minor move:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: RB Lew Nichols
Top Two Teams In Draft Split On Colorado’s Travis Hunter
While the quarterbacks have garnered plenty of attention at the projected top of the 2025 NFL Draft, many recent prospect rankings have Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter as the No. 1 overall prospect, usually joined at the top by two-way Colorado athlete Travis Hunter. If Hunter does end up contending for one of the top two picks in the draft, it could mean two drastically different possibilities for his future in the NFL. 
Hunter was a unicorn at the collegiate level of football. While we’ve seen players in the past like Charles Woodson, Champ Bailey, and Chris Gamble play through college on both sides of the ball full-time, Hunter did so while being a top-four player on his team in snaps played on both offense and defense and while grading out on Pro Football Focus (subscription required) as the best defensive player for the Buffaloes and the second-best offensive player. In the entire nation, Hunter’s 86.3 offensive grade slotted him as the seventh-best receiver in the FBS, while his defensive grade of 88.2 slotted him as the seventh-best cornerback in the country, as well.
His elite, dual-threat athleticism helped Hunter to become the first non-quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy since 2020 (DeVonta Smith) and the first player who played significant snaps on defense to win the award since 1997 (Woodson). In addition, he became the first player in college football history to win both the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation’s best defensive player and the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best wide receiver.
The NFL will be a different story for Hunter, though. In Boulder, coaches knew that, because of the heightened load of playing on both offense and defense on Saturdays, Hunter would need a lightened load in practice during the week. It was also impossible for Hunter to attend both offensive and defensive meetings (as well as broken-down meetings with individual position groups) simultaneously, so he had to budget his time between meetings. Due to the giant learning curve that often accompanies rookies making the jump from college to professional football, that likely won’t fly in the NFL.
So far, the reports we’ve seen coming out of scouting circles have favored Hunter as a cornerback in the NFL who can play in certain packages on offense. This would follow in the footsteps of Woodson, Bailey, and Gamble, who all became defensive backs as pros. Despite the majority seeing this as the probable outcome, there have certainly been a number of teams who are reported to view him as a wide receiver first. It just so happens that one of those teams has the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Titans head coach Brian Callahan and general manager Mike Borgonzi view Hunter primarily as a cornerback, while Andrew Berry, general manager in Cleveland, says Hunter is “a unicorn” that they view primarily as a wide receiver.
That means that, if both teams decide to pass up on quarterbacks and Hunter pushes Carter for the honor of top prospect, Hunter’s NFL future could be decided on if he’s selected No. 1 by the Titans as a corner or No. 2 by the Browns as a receiver. After Tennessee spent a third-round pick and a four-year, $76.4MM extension to watch L’Jarius Sneed be one of the worst cornerbacks in football last year, per PFF, the Titans could use a boost in the secondary. Hunter would also be a solid addition to their wide receiving corps, but with Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, he’s not necessarily needed for every possession.
In Cleveland, while Denzel Ward continues to play at a high level, the Browns could certainly use improved performances around him from young guys like Martin Emerson, Greg Newsome, and Cameron Mitchell. On offense, though, Hunter would immediately step in as WR2 behind Jerry Jeudy. With Elijah Moore entering free agency, the Browns next two returning receivers would be Cedric Tillman (339 yards, three touchdowns) and Michael Woods (65 yards, no touchdowns).
On both teams, it’s clear Hunter could provide a massive improvement to either side of the ball, and perhaps on both sides of the ball, if either team is willing to work him there. The difference between Tennessee’s and Berry’s assessments seems to do less with roster needs and more with personal analysis. While the quarterbacks are sure to keep things interesting atop the first few picks of the draft, if Carter and Hunter end up trending around Nos. 1 and 2, it will be interesting to see exactly how the chips fall and what it will mean for Hunter’s professional career.
Broncos To Discuss Courtland Sutton Extension; Team Not Interested In Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel?
Courtland Sutton has now put together back-to-back quality seasons. After helping Russell Wilson rebound from a disastrous 2022 with a 10-touchdown 2023, the Broncos’ top wide receiver aided Bo Nix to boost the team’s playoff chances.
Sutton’s second career 1,000-yard season performed heavy lifting in Denver’s journey to a 10-7 record and first playoff berth in nine years. The veteran wide receiver remains tied to the $15MM-per-year extension he signed during the 2021 season. On one hand, Sutton secured a reasonable deal for a player with his accomplishments at the time. On the other, he tied himself down as multiple market booms transformed the position’s salary landscape.
That four-year, $60MM pact is up after the 2025 season. The Broncos were believed to have made this offseason the point they would discuss new terms with Sutton, after only agreeing to a minor incentive package in 2024. The talented receiver/trade-rumor mainstay is on the team’s extension radar, though it does not seem likely a new deal emerges soon within days or weeks.
“[GM] George [Paton] and I were just talking about it. Those discussions will take place [between] George, Courtland’s [agent],” Sean Payton said (via 9News’ Mike Klis). “We felt he had a real good season; he’s important to what we’re doing. So all of that will happen in time and I don’t think now’s the time.”
Paton did say he will meet with Sutton’s agent at the Combine. Sutton, 29, has made the interesting transition from a player thrown into trade rumors at just about every trade window between the 2022 and ’24 deadlines — these cycles including the Broncos declining a 49ers third-round pick — to one the Broncos are again ready to build around. After unloading Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick last year, Denver has Sutton still in place from the John Elway era. While Jeudy did re-emerge (particularly in a monster revenge performance in Denver) with a solid season after being traded, the Broncos saw Sutton post 1,081 receiving yards and eight TDs in 2024. The 6-foot-4 target played the lead role in Nix throwing the second-most TD passes (29) by a rookie in NFL history.
Among active WR deals, Sutton ranks 22nd in AAV. He is due a nonguaranteed $13.5MM, an amount Sutton and his agent have informed the Broncos (via Klis) will be untenable for 2025. While the Broncos have some time to resolve this matter, augmenting their skill-position corps around their WR1 will be a near-future task.
Even if the seven-year vet is retained on a deal more in line with today’s market, the Broncos have questions at receiver. Two-for-two in first-team All-Pro nods as a return man, Marvin Mims has slowly made progress on offense. The team also saw sporadic production from rookies Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin, but it can be argued the Broncos are in need of another piece. Payton, however, pointed to a tight end being a higher priority compared to receiver. Today brought more in that direction.
The Broncos are not believed to be interested in Cooper Kupp or Deebo Samuel in trades, the Denver Post’s Troy Renck adds. Both NFC West standouts are not expected back with their respective teams, but the Rams and 49ers also have been linked to potentially cutting the All-Pros. This would open the door for receiver-needy teams and potentially affect the lot of veteran free agents at the position.
Samuel would be closer to what Payton seeks in his perpetual quest to add a “joker” performer to his offense. Denver lacked reliable pass catchers at running back and tight end last season. Samuel profiles as an inside playmaker, albeit an injury-prone one coming off a down season. He amassed just 670 receiving yards in 15 games and has frequently battled short-term injuries; a more serious Jones fracture is also on Samuel’s medical sheet. Making his name as a slot ace, Kupp has also seen injuries hamper him since his triple-crown season in 2021.
Options will be available to the Broncos in free agency, as Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs and Keenan Allen are all high-end route runners out of contract. Diontae Johnson also profiles as such, but he burned plenty of bridges (while torpedoing his value) during a turbulent 2024. The draft will also be an avenue for the Broncos to add a piece at receiver, as the team searches for RB and TE upgrades as well.
Chargers Hope To Re-Sign Khalil Mack; Team Open To Retaining Joey Bosa
Khalil Mack‘s career will include at least one more season, but it remains to be seen where he will play in 2025. The former Defensive Player of the Year is on track for his first trip to free agency. 
[RELATED: Mack-Bears Reunion On The Table?]
Mack has spent the past three year with the Chargers, collecting a Pro Bowl nod each time in that span. That brings his career total to nine, and even at the age of 34 a notable market could therefore exist in free agency. The Bolts want to work out a new deal with Mack before the new league year begins, though, something general manager Joe Hortiz spoke about on Tuesday.
“Khalil has never been a free agent in his life and so it might be something where Khalil wants to just say, ‘Hey, I was a free agent, I did it and I came back to LA,'” Hortiz said (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim). ” If it gets to that, that’s my hope.”
During the 2024 offseason – his first as a general manager – Hortiz was tasked with sorting out the Chargers’ cap situation. That was accomplished in large part by the release of Mike Williams and the trade which sent fellow receiver Keenan Allen to the Bears. Instead of moving on from Mack and/or Joey Bosa, Hortiz kept both of the team’s top edge rushers in place on restructured deals.
As a result, Bosa is set to carry a $36.47MM cap charge in 2025. A release would yield considerable cap savings in the case of the pending 2026 free agent, which is why many have pointed to that being a feasible move on the Chargers’ part. Hortiz said, however, he views it as “realistic” for Los Angeles to keep the oft-injured Pro Bowler on his contract as currently constructed (h/t Rhim).
Bosa played 14 games last year, a positive step after he was limited to five in 2022 and nine the following year. The former Defensive Rookie of the Year has spent his entire nine-year career with the Chargers, and Hortiz is clearly open to allowing him to continue on with the organization. If that proves to be the case with Mack being re-signed, the team will have veteran continuity along the edge in 2025.