Giants meet with Rams QB Matthew Stafford’s agents at NFL Combine, sources say

INDIANAPOLIS — Just hours after general manager Joe Schoen told reporters he intended to “take swings” to land a quarterback for the Giants he was at the plate for one of the biggest possible at-bats of the team’s offseason.

The Giants met with agents representing Matthew Stafford on Tuesday night at the NFL Combine, sources told Newsday, opening a dialogue in what could become the courtship for the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

The Rams have given Stafford permission to speak with other teams and assess his value before they determine how they will proceed. Stafford is due to make $26 million this season on his current four-year, $160 million contract but would like a new deal. There remains a strong potential that Stafford stays with the Rams.

“There’s no discrepancy on us wanting him to continue to lead the way and be our quarterback,” Rams coach Sean McVay said on the “Fitz and Whit Podcast” Tuesday. “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?”

The Giants, though, are in dire need of a quarterback and are one of several teams expected to pursue the 37-year-old passer. The Raiders and Steelers also figure to be involved. There were reports that Stafford met with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady on a ski vacation in Montana this week; whether that was a recruiting pitch or two quarterbacks bumping into each other on the slopes is unclear.

The more teams who show up with legitimate desires to trade for Stafford, of course, the higher the asking price for compensation from the Rams will go.

Asked directly about Stafford on Tuesday, Schoen said that the quarterback was under contract and any questions about him should be directed to the Rams.

Should he wind up with the Giants Stafford would become the most decorated quarterback for the Giants since Eli Manning and join a list of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks who were traded to the franchise that includes Y.A. Tittle and Fran Tarkenton . . . neither of whom won a championship for the Giants.

Stafford was already traded once in his career from the Lions to the Rams. He tied his career high with 41 touchdowns in 2021, his first season in Los Angeles, and led the Rams to the Super Bowl LVI title. But heading into Year 17 he has also suffered a long list injuries including surgery on his throwing elbow and a spinal cord contusion and sprained UCL that caused him to miss half of the 2022 season. In the last two years he has started 31 of the Rams’ 34 regular-season games, brought them to the playoffs twice, and in 2024 threw 20 touchdowns against only eight interceptions while nearly leading a comeback against the eventual champion Eagles in the NFC divisional round.

If the Giants do land Stafford it would not be a long-term solution to their needs at quarterback and could keep the door open for them to draft a rookie at the position in April, although it would make it less likely they use the third overall pick on their potential quarterback of the future.