Vikings Odd-On Favorites to Trade for Top QB Target of NFL Offseason

A handful of teams are jockeying to secure the top two quarterbacks in the NFL draft, Cam Ward of Miami and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, while another half dozen or so will fight over free agents like Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Aaron Rodgers. But Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams — the top QB publicly available via trade — is arguably the top prize of the NFL offseason. Stafford has thrown for nearly 60,000 career passing yards, won a Super Bowl just three years ago and led his team to within one play of besting the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the most recent NFC playoffs.

Yes, Stafford just turned 37 years old. And yes, he’s looking for a multiyear extension worth around $50 million annually. And a third time yes, acquiring him is going to cost a team a meaningful draft asset or two beyond that massive financial commitment.

But if said franchise believes it can win a Super Bowl with Stafford under center in the next two or three years, isn’t all of that cost worth it? The Minnesota Vikings are such a team, with head coach Kevin O’Connell running the offense and a set of skill players that includes wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, tight end T.J. Hockenson and potentially running back Aaron Jones again in 2025.

O’Connell served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2021, the year Stafford captured the sole Super Bowl title of his career, and just scratched together a 14-win regular season with a Sam Darnold reclamation project running the show. Stafford and the Rams handed the Vikings one of their three losses in the regular season before dispatching Minnesota from the playoffs in the first round. Second-year QB J.J. McCarthy is waiting in the wings in Minnesota, and Darnold is likely bound for free agency. But if the Vikings can put together a sensible package for Stafford, oddsmakers expect the franchise to take the swing and try to win a championship right now.

Sportzino Sportsbook project the Rams have a 40% chance of hanging onto Stafford in 2025, despite giving him permission to seek a trade. However, the Vikings have the top odds of dealing for Stafford out of the other 31 NFL teams, with a 15% chance to acquire him as of Thursday, Feb. 27. Second on that list are the New York Giants with a 12.5% chance, and third are the Las Vegas Raiders with a 10% likelihood of landing Stafford.