The NFL has officially clarified that the now infamous interaction between Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford in Montana, regardless of its precise nature—whether a planned recruiting effort or a chance encounter—did not constitute tampering.
“No issue here,” a league spokesman told OutKick in an email Thursday morning. “The Rams provided permission.”
NFL on Las Vegas Raiders, Tom Brady Tampering With Matthew Stafford: “No Issue Here”
The circumstances surrounding the meeting between Brady and Stafford in Montana sparked considerable debate. On Wednesday, Fox Sports insider Jordan Shultz reported that Stafford had visited Brady at his Montana residence, where they engaged in skiing and Brady actively recruited Stafford. However, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport offered a contrasting account, asserting that the meeting was a chance encounter and that no recruiting took place. Regardless of which version is accurate—and many within the NFL lean towards the former—it’s now confirmed that Brady’s actions were well within the bounds of NFL regulations.
The Raiders have emerged as one of the two front runners for the 37-year-old Los Angeles Rams quarterback — the other being the New York Giants who are reportedly meeting with the Stafford camp on Thursday at the NFL combine.
The trade details that have been reported are that Stafford is seeking a contract in the $50 million range. He has also said he believes he can play football for another 3-4 years, leading one to believe he will want a contract for at least two years if not more. It is believed that the Rams are seeking a first-round pick in exchange for the QB. The Raiders currently own the 6th pick in the draft.
The Rams are likely motivated to find a conclusion to the negotiations sooner than later with salary cap space playing a big factor when free agency opens in a few days.
“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?’ There is no dispute,” head coach Sean McVay said. “Let’s not get it twisted in regarding to anybody wanting him to be our quarterback. Now, there’s layers to it. You have to be able to say, ‘Hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure that he’s getting what is his worth relative to those things?’
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