Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has been reportedly given permission by the Los Angeles Rams to seek out a trade to other NFL teams.

Since the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, there has been rampant speculation that the veteran signal-caller’s days in Los Angeles were numbered. The 37-year-old is likely seeking additional money on his contract and also may not have been pleased when friend and wideout Cooper Kupp was told he was no longer going to be part of the Rams organization.

“I will say the trading away of Cooper, I guess I’m just a little, I’m confused. Because we were one play away from going to the NFC Championship, and I think if we go, we win,” wife Kelly Stafford said on her podcast. “Right now, if the Rams decided that they wanted to trade him, or Matthew decided he didn’t want to play for the Rams, I’m good. I would move my family. Yeah, that might be tough. First month, hard. After that, turns out, I like my kids to learn how to be resilient.”

Many pundits have been left scratching their heads wondering why the Rams, who were one game away from the Super Bowl, would allow a talented quarterback to depart.

Among those critical of the Rams is Kurt Warner, who expressed confusion why an important player would not be coveted by an organization that was able to win a Super Bowl with that player leading the offense.

“I think so much of decisions like that become do you feel that your team can be competitive for the next couple of years?” Warner explained to talkSport, via Rams OnSI. “Matt Stafford, he’s a top-five, top-seven quarterback in the league at this point, no matter where you want to stack him up.”

The Rams may be on the verge of a rebuild and recent roster decisions may signal to Stafford that the team is not prepared to win meaningful games for the foreseeable future.

“Do they feel like they’re not in that window?” Warner pondered. “But I look at this team and what they did this year, and they took the Eagles to the end with a chance to win. If I’m the Rams and I believe my window to win is right now, there’s no way I would even think about moving him.”

Stafford was drafted No. 1 overall by the Lions in 2009 and spent 12 NFL seasons in Motown, before being traded to the Rams back in March of 2021.

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