Former QB Fuels Fire in Vikings Rumors
If you were looking for another prominent voice to endorse a Matthew Stafford trade to the Minnesota Vikings, you are in luck.
Former QB Fuels Fire in Vikings Rumors
The 37-year-old quarterback could be available on the NFL’s trade block, and according to Stafford’s former teammate, Chase Daniel, the Vikings make sense as a landing spot.
“And the other thing — what’s crazy, and I didn’t really realize it because I played with Stafford in 2020 when he was with Detroit — is that in his entire career, he’s never, ever played on an outdoor team. Lions and Rams — both indoor teams,” Daniel said last week on FS1’s The Facility.
“I think he needs to go to another indoor team. And who is the other indoor team out there? Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings. K.O.C. — Kevin O’Connell — coached him as his offensive coordinator during the year the Rams won the Super Bowl.”
Of course, the Vikings have J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings to take over the QB1 job in 2025, but between a possible Sam Darnold sequel in the Twin Cities, Aaron Rodgers-themed rumors, and Stafford trade fodder, some have convinced themselves that McCarthy can watch and learn for another year or two.
Daniel also pumped up Stafford’s contractual value: “People don’t realize — like with Stafford — not only do you have to trade for him and give up trade compensation, but you also have to give him legitimate money: a three-year, $150 million deal. Like that. $50 million a year is about right. I mean, he’s probably worth more than that. I think he’s a top-five quarterback in the league. Now, he’s a gunslinger, and he’s tough as nails, but I feel like he might get hurt behind that offensive line.”
Where did Stafford trade rumors come from? Simple — they seemed to start with his wife, Kelly. She used a podcast platform earlier this month to suggest her husband could or would be traded by the Rams.
“I wasn’t planning on discussing this, but hell, why not? My husband wants to win, he’s not trying to put a team in a bad situation, if you’re catching my drift … you’re catching my drift. Trading away Cooper Kupp, I’m confused. We were one play away from going to the NFC championship, and I think if we go, we win,” Kelly Stafford said.
Kelly added, “I have to be the dog in the situation. I want the respect that he deserves. I love the city of LA, with that being said, I love an adventure. 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.”
Minnesota became a number-one-with-a-bullet landing spot for Stafford because of his 2021 connection to Kevin O’Connell with the Rams. The pair won a Super Bowl that season.
Some, like CBS Sports, have even claimed that the Vikings could sell their 1st-Round pick in April for Stafford, which feels a bit odd for a 37-year-old quarterback when a 22-year-old, McCarthy, is chomping at the bit to lead the franchise.
Minnesota is also the oddsmakers’ favorite to acquire Stafford. The Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants have also taken center stage in the Staffordian rumor mill.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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