Matthew Stafford is nearing a decision about his future: Stay with the Los Angeles Rams, who reached the playoffs last season, or potentially join the New York Giants, who were 3-14 and have reached the playoffs once in the past eight seasons.
How much money would make it worth it for the potential Hall of Fame quarterback? For many, choosing the Giants would mean picking a losing team with one of the worst offensive lines in football. But Giants players don’t necessarily agree with that assessment.
Responding to the critical comments from ESPN “Get Up” hosts Mike Greenberg and Damien Woody on Thursday, offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor wrote to X that these guys didn’t know what they were talking about.
“Behind Terrible Offensive Line” I’m not one to make excuses but before AT went down we were dogging some of the best DLs in the league, go watch the tape. @Espngreeny
We can sit down and watch the tape together my guy. Don’t care who it is back there in 25 but whoever it is will be Greatly Protected
Eluemunor would be correct in alluding to the effect of Andrew Thomas (“AT”), who received Pro Football Focus' highest grade (75.4) among Giants offensive linemen. But nobody else in the group graded higher than 65, speaking to the unit’s holes. New York allowed 48 sacks, seventh-most in the NFL, a year after giving up a league-high 85.
Here’s the “Get Up” segment, in full, that Eluemunor responded to on X:
Greenberg: Look, I mean, I’m all for people getting as much leverage as they possibly can. Matt Stafford can’t seriously want to go to the Giants. I don’t mean this as disrespectfully as that sounds, but I mean, (ESPN’s) Field Yates kind of brought up some of the options. You’re going to a wind tunnel behind a terrible offensive line on a team that was just awful last year where the coach and the general manager’s careers are basically hanging by a thread. In that market. They’re in a ridiculously competitive division. I’m all for trying to drum up leverage, but if you’re Matt Stafford, that can’t possibly be right now anywhere near the top of your list, can it?
Woody, a two-time Super Bowl winner: No way I would want to play for the New York Football Giants. New York Football Giants are a disaster. We’ve seen what happened this past year, obviously, with Saquon Barkley. Them moving on from Saquon Barkley. Him going on to win the Super Bowl. The disaster that was Daniel Jones. They can’t protect. They can’t protect the quarterback. And oh, by the way, the front office and coach are barely hanging on as it is. So if you go out there, you’re Matt Stafford playing outdoors in the NFL East with all that type of intimate weather. What happens if things doesn’t roll your way? That whole regime could be out.
Then you could be in a situation where you got a whole new regime coming in. I don’t want any part of that instability if I’m Matthew Stafford.
According to NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinsky, the Giants are “hellbent” on trading for Stafford, who has discussed a two-year deal between $90-100 million with the Giants and Las Vegas Raiders, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
The Rams have allowed Stafford to meet with teams to gauge his value before the two parties determine if they can reach a new contract or have to trade the 37-year-old Super Bowl winner. According to Russini, Stafford will meet with the Rams on Friday.
MORE NFL COVERAGE
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.