• Loading stock data...
Friday, June 6, 2025

High-Priced QB Carousel Takes Center Stage at NFL Scouting Combine

Several top quarterbacks are set to be on the move this offseason, and intrigue around the expensive decisions took over the conversation in Indianapolis.

Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) reacts after the NFC wild card game against the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Exclusive

Will Compton Explains ‘Bittersweet’ Decision to Leave Barstool for FanDuel

“You always fear the unknown,” Compton told FOS.
Read Now
June 6, 2025 |

INDIANAPOLIS — At the NFL Scouting Combine, the league’s 32 franchises get a first look at the draft’s top prospects, as they consider which young superstars deserve tens of millions of dollars.

Hitting the jackpot on a passer is rare, and it can provide a huge advantage for several years thanks to the team-friendly rookie wage scale that caps players’ first contracts.

But as coaches, front office executives, scouts, and media gathered at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium this week, the attention was on veteran signal-callers.

Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward, and others will hear their names called from the draft stage in Green Bay in April, but the buzz centered on an impending—and pricey—quarterback carousel that is set to start spinning as the new league year and free agency begin March 12.

Here’s a look at the most important names reshaping the league.

Matthew Stafford

This offseason, the most interesting—and likely most expensive—quarterback available was Matthew Stafford, who agreed to a restructured contract with the Rams on Friday, after several days of rumors swirling about his future. 

Stafford had received permission to speak with other teams about a trade and new deal, as the Super Bowl LVI winner had been set to earn just $27 million in total cash in 2025, which is 16th in the NFL among quarterbacks. The 37-year-old wanted a raise—and it looks like he’ll get one in the $40 million range.

Plenty of teams could have significantly improved their rosters by adding Stafford. Rumors were centering on the Giants (who currently have no quarterbacks under contract) and the Raiders, the latter of whom led to one of the biggest stories of the combine, which took place outside of Lucas Oil Stadium: the NFL insider confrontation.

Fox Sports reporter Jordan Schultz confronted NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport at Starbucks in the JW Marriott lobby on Wednesday after Rapoport refuted some of Schultz’s report that Las Vegas minority owner Tom Brady recently hosted Stafford at his Montana home.

The aftermath of the incident is still playing out, as NFL security was looking into the Starbucks matter. Still, the wild scene highlighted the power and influence of secretive NFL information—especially around the league’s premier position.

Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) shakes hands with Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) after the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers

Another veteran Super Bowl winner is actually guaranteed to be hitting the quarterback carousel: Aaron Rodgers, who is looking for a new team after the Jets decided not to bring him back for a third season, which was somewhat controversial in New York’s locker room. 

“This is not going to be the last decision I make that’s going to upset some people,” new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said this week, after several of the team’s players voiced their frustration with the move, which wasn’t cheap, either. The Jets will incur a $49 million dead cap hit that can be spread out across the next two seasons.

Rodgers appears to have less of a market than Stafford did, although one rumor had the 41-year-old taking Stafford’s job in Los Angeles if the Rams did move on. Now, the Giants are said to be interested in Rodgers.

Sam Darnold

While those two ring-chasing (and perhaps paycheck-chasing) veterans stole most of the headlines, two younger quarterbacks are set to command as much, if not more, money with new contracts. 

Sam Darnold’s stellar play in 2024 that helped the Vikings (his fourth team in seven seasons) to a 14–3 record has earned him the right to be a free agent, Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell previously said.

Darnold played on a one-year, $10 million deal, and the Vikings appear unlikely to place the franchise tag on him, which would lock him into another one-year deal—this time worth more than $40 million.

O’Connell said at the combine that the Vikings were “evaluating the short-term and long-term aspects” of their quarterback situation. Second-year man J.J. McCarthy will have a salary-cap hit of just under $5 million next season, while Darnold will be seeking a multiyear commitment, likely north of $100 million.

Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) before the game against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium.
Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Brock Purdy

While Darnold will get a nice pay bump wherever he lands, Brock Purdy is in line for an even bigger raise with the 49ers, as San Francisco GM John Lynch confirmed extension talks had begun. 

Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, has earned just $2.88 million during his first three seasons in the league, despite leading the 49ers to two NFC championship games and one Super Bowl. 

In 2025, he’s set to make $5.26 million thanks to proven performance escalators. But the 49ers could instead make Purdy one of the richest players in the NFL. (Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the league’s highest-paid player, with an average annual salary of $60 million.)

“We want Brock to be our quarterback as long as we’re here and beyond, and we’ll leave it at that,” Lynch said this week. 

From Purdy and Darnold to Rodgers and Stafford, there’s no doubt it pays to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Top quarterback prospects Sanders and Ward certainly know that, even if the combine week was more about those already raking in millions in the league.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NBA Finals

NBA Finals Continue to Strip Away Pageantry

Fans once again complained about the lack of visible Finals markings.
Jan 6, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, United States; An Arizona State Sun Devil competes in the 100 yard breaststroke against the Grand Canyon Lopes at Mona Plummer Aquatic Complex in Tempe on Jan. 6, 2024.

Trump Immigration Actions Could Ensnare International College Athletes

Both White House and State Department actions have contributed to the uncertainty.

Rodgers Signing Defies Steelers Reputation but Further Boosts Team’s Profile

The NFL team long known for avoiding drama signed a mercurial quarterback.
May 1, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view as Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers players run across the Clippers logo at midcourt in the first half during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.

Kalshi’s Momentum Fuels Crypto.com’s Fight Over Sports Markets

Crypto.com cited a recent Kalshi court victory in its own fight against Nevada.

Featured Today

August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros
June 4, 2025

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
May 31, 2025

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.

French Open Ratings Up 23% in Week 1 Ahead of Star-Powered Finals

The women’s final will feature the world’s top two players.
Lois Boisson
June 5, 2025

Coco Gauff Ends Lois Boisson’s $785K Cinderella Run in French Open Semis

Boisson entered the tournament ranked No. 361 in the world.
Aaron Rodgers
June 5, 2025

Aaron Rodgers Finally Agrees to Deal With Steelers

The one-year deal is reportedly set to be signed Friday.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
Nov 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) walks off before a game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
June 4, 2025

Derek Carr Didn’t Want to ‘Just Take the Saints Money’

The retired quarterback walked away from a $30 million salary.
June 4, 2025

361st-ranked Boisson Stuns at French Open, Quintuples Career Earnings

The 2025 French Open is Boisson’s first Grand Slam.
June 4, 2025

Stanley Cup Is Connor McDavid’s Chance to Cement All-Time Status

The Oilers superstar is mirroring the path of Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (USA), left, defeats Gabby Thomas (USA) to win the women's 200m, 21.99 to 22.10, during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field.
June 2, 2025

Grand Slam Track Investigating Man Saying He Heckled Gabby Thomas to Win..

The league announced a “full investigation into the reprehensible behavior.”