Monthly Archive 2025年3月4日

It was unclear if Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams were going to remain together after the team gave its Super Bowl champion starting quarterback permission to gauge his value with other teams around the league.

However, cooler heads prevailed and the two sides agreed on a restructured contract to keep Stafford satisfied and with Los Angeles in 2025 as the team announced the two-time Pro Bowler is back.

The two sides reportedly met in Los Angeles on Friday, and a resolution ocurred. Stafford had two years remaining on his deal, but he only possessed $4 million in guaranteed salary in that span with zero guaranteed dollars for 2026. The Rams, who were just a play or two away from upsetting the eventual Super Bowl LIX champion Eagles in Philadelphia during the NFC divisional round, keep the band together for another run at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

This deal will have a ripple effect across the entire league. Both the New York Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders, two quarterback-starved teams, reportedly had interest in the 37-year-old. Now, Aaron Rodgers’ market could heat up as more teams could see him in the same vein: a veteran bridge quarterback with perhaps a little drop of high level play left in his tank. Top free agent quarterback Sam Darnold will also likely benefit on his next deal after his first Pro Bowl season in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings.

The franchise tag deadline is fast approaching in the NFL, and the league has finally released numbers for the teams if they wish to place the franchise or transition tag on players prior to the deadline on March 4.

Here are the franchise and transition tag numbers for all positions in 2025 (per NFL Media):

POSITION FRANCHISE TAG TRANSITION TAG
QB

$40,242,000

$35,377,000

RB

$13,640,000

$11,067,000

WR

$23,959,000

$21,441,000

TE

$13,826,000

$11,712,000

OL

$23,402,000

$21,271,000

DE

$22,062,000

$19,872,000

DT

$25,123,000

$20,849,000

LB

$25,452,000

$20,849,000

CB

$20,187,000

$17,595,000

S

$18,601,000

$15,027,000

K/P $6,313,000 $5,730,000
The Kansas City Chiefs have already decided to place the franchise tag on right guard Trey Smith, so he’ll make $23,402,000 in the 2025 season under the tag until he and the team reach a new deal. The franchise tag can be exclusive (the player can not sign with another team) or non-exclusive (the team that signs the player under the tag has to surrender two first-round draft selections).

If the Cincinnati Bengals place a franchise tag on Tee Higgins again, it would cost them $23.96 million. This could give Cincinnati more time to sign Higgins to a long-term deal, which is part of the reason teams place franchise tags on players.

Teams that place a franchise tag on a player have until July 15 to sign a long-term deal with that team.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was perhaps the most coveted veteran quarterback available this offseason, but that availability is now gone. He and the Rams agreed to a restructured deal Friday to remain together in 2025.

Now, quarterback-starved teams will have to pivot toward other veteran quarterbacks this offseason, which means more interest in 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reported Friday that the four-time NFL MVP has been calling prospective teams to feel out their interest in employing him in 2025. Multiple calls from Rodgers’ end have been made to the Giants.

With Stafford no longer an option, the Giants are now looking into potentially signing the Green Bay Packers’ all-time passing touchdowns leader, per ESPN.

Rodgers is coming off career-worsts in losses (12), passing yards per attempt (6.7) and passer rating (90.5) with the New York Jets in 2024. His 28 touchdown passes were tied for the seventh most in the league with 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen, and his 3,897 yards passing were the eighth most in the league, just in front of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (3,870). Rodgers narrowly trailed behind Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (3,928) in yards passing last season.

New York already has a No. 1 wide receiver in Malik Nabers: his 109 catches as a rookie in 2024 were the most in a season in Giants history and stand as the second-most ever by a rookie behind only Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers’ 112 last season. The team is also equipped with a running back who totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage last season in rookie fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. If general manager Joe Schoen is able to reinforce his offensive line, New York’s other football team could make sense for Rodgers.

The move would also make sense for the Giants since they could be freed up to draft the best player available with the 2025 NFL Draft’s third overall pick. That’s a slot that puts them in range to select 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who played both wide receiver and cornerback at a high level for Colorado, or Penn State All-American edge rusher Abdul Carter.