Month: March 2025

The storyline that has dominated the NFL Scouting Combine that has nothing to do with the combine is the future of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. The franchise recently granted the 37-year-old permission to speak to other interested teams, which means a trade could be on the horizon.

Stafford is technically under contract for two more years, but he’s due a pay raise. Since the Rams and Stafford’s camp have been unable to reach an agreement just yet, his representation is now polling other quarterback-needy teams what they would be willing to pay the former No. 1 overall pick. If another team is willing to pay Stafford the amount he desires, which could be $50 million per year, that team would then have to send the Rams acceptable trade compensation to complete the deal.

It feels like the Rams are in a precarious spot here. Trading for Stafford won the Rams a Super Bowl and brought them consistency under center. Losing him would be to enter quarterback purgatory, but how much are you willing to pay an aging QB?

Agent’s Take: Why Matthew Stafford has nobody to blame but himself regarding contract impasse with Rams
Joel Corry
Agent’s Take: Why Matthew Stafford has nobody to blame but himself regarding contract impasse with Rams
Recently, Rams head coach Sean McVay appeared on the Fitz & Whit podcast, and broke down the complicated situation his team finds itself in.

“When you talk about the elephant in the room, these are the things that are really challenging,” McVay said, via NFL.com. “Because there’s no discrepancy on us wanting him to continue to lead the way and be our quarterback. The interesting and the challenging dilemma and dynamics within this are, hey, how do you continuously as a head coach look at the short term and the long term and be able to figure out what does that really look like?

“There is no dispute, and let’s not get it twisted in regards to anybody wanting him to be our quarterback. Now, there’s layers to it. You have to be able to say, hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure that he’s getting what is his worth relative to those things? So, at the end of the day, we had something in mind, he had something in mind, and nobody was right or wrong. And then ultimately you’re saying there’s a ton of interest because this guy is an incredible player.”

Stafford may have some gray in his beard, but he can still play. The former Detroit Lion threw 15 touchdowns compared to one interception in his final nine games of the season, including playoffs, while the Rams came just one play away from hosting an NFC Championship game.

The Athletic reports that Stafford has attracted significant interest from teams over the last week, including the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. Will they be willing to pay Stafford more than the Rams and meet the Rams’ desired compensation? That’s a legitimate question, because McVay made it clear the goal is to have Stafford back under center in 2025.

“There does have to be an element of understanding, well, what does that future look like without this freakin’ G who’s been our quarterback for the last four years?” McVay said. “And there’s no wrong or right way to go about it, but I do think for us to be able to make the most educated decision in terms of the cash budget that we operate on, the draft comp that you would get in return, you just need to be able to have all the parameters to at least explore it. Don’t have to do anything in secret, want to make sure that we’re all abreast of the situation, even though the first goal in mind is to have you come back here as the quarterback.

“These decisions aren’t made in a vacuum and that’s kind of the challenging part of it, but love this guy, and he’s been incredible for us.”

There’s a new level of excitement in Chicago, as the Bears landed the most coveted head coach of this past cycle in former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The 38-year-old played a large part in the Lions’ turnaround, as he created and maintained what was arguably the best offense in the NFL. The Bears are hoping he can do the same thing in Chicago with Caleb Williams.

During a recent appearance on “Pardon My Take,” Johnson was asked a relatively morbid question if he would sacrifice one Bears fan’s life for 10 Super Bowls. The first-year head coach said he would rather sacrifice one of his body parts. Barstool’s Big Cat brought up the possibility of cutting off a pinkie finger, but Johnson went in an entirely different direction.

“Well I’ve got the three kids, my wife is already telling me what to do next,” Johnson said. “So I guess you can go with the testicles.”

For 10 Super Bowls, there are probably many head coaches who would pawn their family jewels as well. Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel even joked that he would cut off his penis for a Super Bowl win as a head coach, even though he already has three rings as a player.

The NFL Scouting Combine has been a good opportunity for Bears fans to learn more about their head coach. During his time as a coordinator, Johnson was seen as somewhat of a “mad scientist” with a deep bag of tricks who wasn’t necessarily a “rah-rah guy” like his former boss, Dan Campbell. That’s going to change now that he’s a lead man.

“We’re gonna flip that narrative, because I don’t necessarily love it,” Johnson told CBS Sports. “My job over the last few years was to be the best offensive coordinator that I could possibly be. That changes now that I’m the head coach, and that’s going to be the whole vision of the entire unit and the entire team. I like to think of myself not as a mad scientist, but I’d like to think of myself as a darn good football coach. That’s what I’m going to be moving forward, and I look forward to the challenge, which is defensive, special teams, offense all coming together and playing complimentary football.”

University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders are widely considered the top two draft prospects at their position. Both are expected to be first-round picks, perhaps as high as No. 1 overall. Given that there are two of them, the quarterback-needy Cleveland Browns will surely be in position to draft at least one, and could potentially have both on the board if the Tennessee Titans decide to go in a different direction with the top pick.

So it’s no surprise that the Browns met with both Ward and Sanders at the NFL Scouting Combine, which head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on Wednesday. And he had high praise for both players.

“Shedeur is a very, very impressive young man,” Stefanski said, via the Browns. “Was raised the right way. Obviously, he’s a heck of a football player. That’s evident off the tape. But really impressed with the person.”

Cam Ward NFL Draft 2025 scouting report: How a zero-star prospect became the potential No. 1 pick
Josh Edwards
Cam Ward NFL Draft 2025 scouting report: How a zero-star prospect became the potential No. 1 pick
Sanders, of course, is the son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, who was also his coach at Colorado (and Jackson State before that). Sanders counts accuracy, ball placement and decision-making among his greatest strengths, though there are some questions about his arm strength and athleticism, as well as his penchant for taking sacks.

Ward, meanwhile, began his college career at Incarnate Word before transferring to Wazzu, and then spent his final season with the Hurricanes. He’s drawn praise for his arm strength, creativity, processing ability and overall demeanor, though there have been some questions about his eagerness to chase the big play even when it might be a better decision to live to play another down.

“Very, very impressed with Cam as well,” Stefanski said, again via the Browns. “Just his career, where he’s been — it’s a unique path. Knows football really well. Was really impressed with his meeting in terms of his recall going back to his Washington State days and how he saw defense, how he progressed, how his processing worked. He kind of could talk through all that. I was very impressed with the young man.”

When it comes to what the Browns are looking for in a quarterback, Stefanski’s list of traits seemed to pull from the strengths of both players.

“Decision-making, obviously, is very high on the list. Whether it’s 1-2-3, accuracy being very important as well,” he said, once again via the Browns. “But decision-making and, like we just talked about, processing. I think every single play as a quarterback, you’re doing something — whether it’s a run check, a motion, a decision that you’re making based on a safety’s depth — all of those things factor into decision-making.”

The Browns could very well have their pick of these two players when they come on the clock in late April, and only then will we know their true thoughts on the top quarterbacks in the class.