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How Dominik Szoboszlai became the beating heart of Liverpool's midfield
Dominik Szoboszlai had nothing left to give. After the final whistle had blown at Manchester City on Sunday, the Hungary international collapsed to the turf in exhaustion, having just delivered one of the outstanding individual performances of the Premier League season so far.
Szoboszlai had been involved in both goals in Liverpool's 2-0 win at the Etihad, teeing up Mohamed Salah to score the first before collecting the ball from the Egypt international and rifling clinically past Ederson to notch his sixth goal of the season in all competitions.
While it was his brilliance inside the 18-yard box that gave Liverpool the advantage against Pep Guardiola's side, it was his relentless work ethic that helped ensure the league leaders kept their noses in front. It was a victory that, by the end of the 90 minutes, had the triumphant away fans demanding that City hand over their Premier League crown. When asked post-match for his reaction to the supporters' chants of "we're going to win the league," Szoboszlai told Sky Sports: "I didn't hear it, I was so tired."
Liverpool's clash with City was their fourth game in the space of just 12 days, with Szoboszlai one of only two outfielders (alongside captain Virgil van Dijk) to have played every minute during that run. With that in mind, it's perhaps little wonder he felt tired.
The rewards for such a herculean effort, though, promise to be great for Szoboszlai and for Liverpool. Arne Slot's side now boast an 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League table -- albeit having played a game more than second-placed Arsenal -- with just 11 games left. Should Liverpool win the club's 20th league title this term then the likes of Salah and Van Dijk will, rightly, earn much of the acclaim. But while it is his teammates who might grab the headlines, Szoboszlai has this season cemented himself as one of the most vital cogs in Slot's machine.
'He was born for football'
Szoboszlai is used to his reputation preceding him. When he joined Hungarian top-flight club MTK Budapest in 2015, academy director Zsolt Székely was already well aware of his talent.
"I knew of him before I worked with him because two of his father's friends worked at MTK, and they often told me that I had to watch this kid because he was really good," Székely tells ESPN. "They always said if he was faster, he could have a big future. I first went to watch him at 12 years old and he was amazing."
Szoboszlai was scouted by RB Salzburg at the age of 15, but the club were keen for the midfielder to hone his skills back in his homeland before moving to Austria. He spent a year at MTK, which is widely regarded as Hungary's best football academy.
"He was a great football player," Székely says. "He had very high football intelligence, he had incredible technique. How he kicked the ball, it was something new to us. When he passed the ball, players always passed it back to him. He always wanted to have the ball at his feet.
"He always stood out. I have never seen such a complete player as him. It was always clear he would be successful. His life was football. He was born for football. He didn't have a smartphone; he didn't have Facebook. He just played football all day, with us or with his father. He was crazy about it."
On the international stage, too, it didn't take long for Szoboszlai to make a name for himself. In 2017, the midfielder was part of the Hungary squad bidding to qualify for the European Under-17 Championship, lining up against a Norway side spearheaded by a striker named Erling Haaland -- who later became Szoboszlai's teammate at Salzburg.
"Hungary needed a win to qualify, but the game was tied heading into the last few minutes," Hungarian football journalist Bence Bocsák tells ESPN. "Then Szoboszlai received the ball on the edge of the box and just smashed it into the top corner to win it. After that, literally everyone was talking about him."
The noise around Szoboszlai only grew louder when he moved to Salzburg in 2018, and again when he made the switch to RB Leizpig in the Bundesliga three years later. By that point, the midfielder had already written himself into his country's history books by scoring the goal that sealed Hungary's place at Euro 2020, and he was made captain of the national team in November 2022.
"He is a true leader, a strong character, which is rare in his age," Hungary head coach Marco Rossi said of his decision to hand Szoboszlai the armband. "The players discussed it; it would be the right decision if he became the team captain.
"He is internationally recognised for his abilities, but the most important thing is that he can be sure that he can handle this responsibility and that it will not hinder his development. He is not a top player yet, but he will soon become one."
More than two years on from those comments, Szoboszlai is well on his way to fulfilling that prophecy.
'When Liverpool play, everyone in Hungary is watching'
When Szoboszlai joined Liverpool in a 60 million deal from Leipzig in July 2023, it was, in a sense, a full-circle moment. The Hungary international already had a tattoo on his arm of a quote attributed to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard: "Talent is a blessing from God, but without incredible will and humility, it is worthless."
With Guinea international Naby Keïta having left Anfield that summer, Szoboszlai inherited the vacant No.8 shirt which Gerrard had worn with great distinction for more than a decade. But if following in the footsteps of an icon comes with pressure, Szoboszlai didn't show it in the early months of his Liverpool career, with his all-action displays in the middle of the park earning him plenty of plaudits.
"You have these people who come into the room and click with everybody, he has that, charisma," then-Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp said in a news conference in September 2023. "He was in the team in an instant, that's clear, and was so happy to come here. It was really nice to see how much it meant to him and that's it."
But, like a number of his Liverpool teammates, Szoboszlai's form dipped in the second half of the campaign, and he started just one of the Reds' final seven league games as they fell away in the title race, ultimately finishing third behind City and Arsenal.
There was little time, though, for the midfielder to rest and recover before Euro 2024, where Hungary agonisingly missed out on qualification for the knockout stages, winning just one of their group-stage games. It was a lot of responsibility to shoulder for one so young, but Szoboszlai has never been the sort of player to shy away from the spotlight.
"I went to South Korea about 18 months ago, a few months after Szoboszlai had signed for Liverpool, and I saw all of these posters of Son Heung-Min," Bocsák says. "He was literally everywhere, and I told all my Hungarian friends this is what is going to happen with Szoboszlai, and that's proved true.
"He had a McDonalds meal named after him in the summer, he's the face of one of the country's biggest telephone companies. He's pretty much everywhere. When Liverpool play, everyone in Hungary is watching."
Szoboszlai could be 'star' for Liverpool
For Szoboszlai and his Liverpool teammates, this season was a clean slate, with Slot arriving from Feyenoord Rotterdam last summer to replace Klopp in the dugout. One hallmark of the Dutchman's Anfield tenure so far has been his willingness to speak plainly about areas for improvement within his team and, ahead of Liverpool's Champions League clash with AC Milan in September, he was particularly clear about his expectations for Szoboszlai.
"Something I have to work on with him is that he is also even more involved in scoring goals and creating chances for us because I think last season he scored three [in the league] if I remember correctly," Slot said.
"For an attacking midfielder at Liverpool his numbers need to go up, but I am really happy with the way he has done until now. I am 100% sure that if he plays in a team with so much quality around him and with the quality he has, he will in the end score more goals as well."
Szoboszlai, too, has acknowledged that he can add further gloss to his numbers. But, playing in a midfield alongside the ingenuity of Alexis Mac Allister and the technical brilliance of Ryan Gravenberch, the 24-year-old is under no illusions about the fact it is down to him to bring the running power to Liverpool's engine room.
"I can play better, as the gaffer said I can score more goals, I can give more assists, but I am doing the 'dirty job' as well for the team and that is the most important thing to me," Szoboszlai said back in October. "While we are top of the league and I don't score any goals, I'll take it."
Szoboszlai's willingness to put in the hard yards was evidenced emphatically at the Etihad on Sunday, where he ran 11.5km -- more than any other player on the pitch. By comparison, Kevin De Bruyne, who has been the heartbeat of City's midfield for nearly a decade, ran just 8.1km, while Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush ran 9.3km and 8.4km respectively.
Considering Liverpool had just 33.9% possession against City -- their lowest in a Premier League victory on record since 2003-04 -- the importance of Szoboszlai's impressive work rate cannot be overstated. Still, though, there is a sense that the midfielder is yet to reach his full potential.
"I think he can be better," Bocsák says. "The conversation in Hungary is that he's still not as good for Liverpool as he is for the national team.
"He took a little bit of time to really get going and become the main man in Salzburg and the same for Leipzig, so I think next season is when we will really see him become the star of this team. He's got that potential, and I think, with time, he'll get there."
With three months of the season still to play, neither Szoboszlai nor his teammates will allow themselves to celebrate just yet. However, if he does go on to become the first Hungarian to win the Premier League this term, it will mark another remarkable chapter in an increasingly extraordinary career.
"He is a sign for every Hungarian kid that if you work hard enough and you have enough talent you can be successful," Székely says. "I'm not sure if there is a higher step in world football than Liverpool, but I'm sure Dominik could be a key player for anyone in the world."
Arne Slot touchline ban: What can Liverpool boss do, and where?
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has been given a two-match touchline ban and fined 70,000 by the Football Association after his red card amid fractious scenes at the end of the Merseyside derby on Feb. 12.
Slot admitted to the charge of acting "in an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee." He had approached referee Michael Oliver after a melee between the two sets of players following the full-time whistle had seen Everton's Abdoulaye Doucouré and Liverpool's Curtis Jones sent off for second bookable offenses.
Slot will be absent from the touchline for Wednesday's game at home to Newcastle United, and the visit of Southampton to Anfield on Saturday, March 8. The suspension will not affect Liverpool's Champions League game at Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, March 5.
How much involvement will Slot have in those two Premier League fixtures?
Can Slot be in the stadium?
Yes, as this is just a touchline ban.
There is a separate sanction which can see a manager banned from the ground completely.
Can Slot communicate with his bench?
Yes. The Football Association's Media Essentials Guide states that from his seat in the stand he can "communicate with those in the dugout by either phone or a 'runner.'"
Can Slot be involved in the prematch warmup?
No. Slot cannot be "on the touchline before, during or after the match, and this includes participating in the team's warmup."
Is Slot allowed in the changing room?
Yes, he can go into the changing room before the match and at halftime to deliver his team talk.
If the Football Association's Regulatory Commission had imposed an "extended" touchline ban, Slot wouldn't have been able to communicate with the team from 30 minutes prior to the game and until 30 minutes after the game.
Kohli moves up to No.5 on ICC rankings, Ponting calls him 'best ODI player'
"With someone like Virat, you never write him off, because I'm sure he'd be motivated by that [achieving the record], I think," Ponting said on the ICC Review Podcast. "Now that he's gone past me and only two ahead of him, I'm sure he wants to give himself the best chance to be remembered as the all-time leading run scorer in the game.
"So, as long as the hunger's there, obviously, physically wise, he's probably as fit as he's ever been and works exceptionally hard on that side of his game. So, if the hunger's still there, then I'm never going to write him off.
"I know he's nice and close to Sangakkara now. I don't think it's going to be long, maybe the next game before he goes past Sangakkara. But still, a little way to go to catch Sachin."
Calling Kohli the best 50-over player he has ever seen, Ponting was also amazed by the fact that Kohli is still more than 4000 runs adrift of Tendulkar's record despite being at the top of his ODI game for so long.
"Congratulations to him [Kohli]. He's obviously been a champion player for a long, long time. And particularly, probably in the white-ball formats where he's been an unbelievably good 50-over player," Ponting said. "In fact, I think I'm on record before saying I don't think I've ever seen a better 50-over player than Virat Kohli.
"It's crazy when you think about it, isn't it? Just how good Virat's been over such a long period of time, yet he's still 4,000 runs behind Sachin. I mean, it just goes to show how good Sachin was, but also his longevity in the game. How long Sachin played for and how long you're able to maintain such high levels for as an individual player? And that's the one thing I've always judged excellence on, is how long you can maintain it for."
"Look, I've always said big games equal big names. You need your big names to stand up in those big moments. And no bigger game for India than a game against Pakistan. So, it's no surprise to me that that has happened," he said. "I think it's very much the same as what we would say whenever we play England. Your reputation is forged in what you do in the biggest contests on the international stage.
"And no bigger moment than Sunday night when Pakistan had batted first on a tricky wicket. It needed someone at the top of the order to play a match-winning innings like that. And once again, it was Kohli to get the job done."
10.50am GMT: The story was updated after Kohli moved up to No.5 on the ICC rankings
Kuhnemann cleared of suspect bowling action by ICC
"He...underwent an independent bowling assessment at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane on 15 February, where it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension for all his deliveries was within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Illegal Bowling Regulations," an ICC statement said.
Kuhnemann could have continued playing domestic cricket while his action was assessed although the thumb he dislocated during the BBL has kept him out of action since. It is not known yet if he will be fit in time for Tasmania's next Sheffield Shield game against Queensland in Hobart from March 6. He is a strong chance of being selected for the Test tour of West Indies in June and July.
During the testing process, Kuhnemann went through a session that lasted more than one hour, where he was asked to bowl at a similar speed and with similar revolutions to what he did in the second Test in Galle. ICC experts were at hand to observe the proceedings as Kuhnemann bowled, wearing markers on his body and surrounded by several high-speed cameras and a 3D motion analysis system.
"We are pleased for Matt that this matter is now resolved," Ben Oliver, CA executive general manager national teams said in a statement. "It has been a challenging period for Matt, however he has carried himself exceptionally well.
"He has had the full support of Australian cricket and he can now move forward to the next phase of his international career with great confidence."
Not long after he had been reported, his Australia team-mates rallied behind him, with Steven Smith, Australia's captain in Pat Cummins' absence, saying, "It's come as a bit of a surprise to me. He has been playing for eight years in professional cricket and nothing has been said in that amount of time.
"I am thinking of him, at present, he has to go through the process. We're confident he will pass. He will go through that process back home. We wish him all the best."
Kuhnemann has taken 25 wickets in five Tests at 22.20.
Aaqib Javed laments lack of experience after Pakistan's early exit
Pakistan have one more match to play, of course, against Bangladesh, who are also already out of contention for the semi-finals in the Champions Trophy. That match in Rawalpindi on Thursday is also under serious threat from rain, and perhaps a sodden outfield, with this having been a wet week in the city.
Javed spoke at length about the various permutations and combinations in selection that could have improved the team's output this tournament. But clearly still hurting from the loss to India on Sunday, he also made the point that India's XI had a far greater body of work on their resume than Pakistan's.
"When Pakistan and India is playing, it's not only cricket - it's more than that. You need a lot of experience," Javed said. "This Indian team was the most experienced - they have almost 1500 games together. And Pakistan is on the bottom, with less than 400 games together. If you look at players like Babar Azam is the only one who has played more than 100 games. Then there's Mohammad Rizwan (88 ODIs) and then Shaheen Afridi (64 ODIs).
"The rest of them have less than 30 matches. Tayyab Tahir has played like eight games. Imam-ul-Haq (73 games) was coming back in the team. The main thing is, when nothing works, and when you are talking about more than a game, then the experience counts. There is no doubt."
"Similarly, we had to bring in Khushdil Shah because Saim was unfit. The reason is that in one-day cricket, you cannot go with 5 bowlers. You have to make a combination of seven batsmen and four bowlers.
"When Saim was there, he used to bat at the top and he used to bowl five to seven overs. When he was not there - we saw that if you do a little research - even with the terrific performances that Khushdil Shah has given in one-and-a-half years of cricket, his wicketsthere's no comparison. It was not even a close case or anything. But our job in the selection committee was to give him the best replacement option."
In the absence of these players, it was down to the big five: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen to step up, Javed said. But match-winning performances from these players never came.
These players have come under particular fire in Pakistan since the team's exit.
"A common person who doesn't play and is not part of the team management wants reasons and the names of people because of whom this team is losing," Javed said. "As far as Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris are concerned, our plan was to make the best possible 11 or 15. There is no doubt that Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris are excellent bowlers. If you compare them with the bowling attack of any team, they are one of the best fast-bowling options.
"And if you look at Babar - apart from him what other options do you have? We always say that if the team loses, change the team. This is the most inexperienced team already."
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
Mumbai Indians bring in Kalita for Sisodia and opt to bowl
Toss Mumbai Indians chose to bowl vs UP Warriorz
Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to chase against UP Warriorz in Bengaluru.
Mumbai Indians: 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 Amanjot Kaur, 7 S Sajana, 8 G Kamalini, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Jintimani Kalita
UP Warriorz: 1 Kiran Navgire, 2 Vrinda Dinesh, 3 Deepti Sharma (capt), 4 Tahlia McGrath, 5 Shweta Sehrawat, 6 Grace Harris, 7 Uma Chetry (wk), 8 Chinelle Henry, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Saima Thakor, 11 Kranti Goud
Malewar 138*, Nair 86 stabilise Vidarbha after early wickets
Stumps Vidarbha 254 for 4 (Malewar 138*, Nair 86, Nidheesh 2-33) vs Kerala
On Wednesday, Malewar and Nair were at the forefront of an incredible Vidarbha fightback on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy final against first-timers Kerala in Nagpur. The pair added 215 for the fourth wicket as Kerala's bowling reserves were severely tested. Vidarbha recovered from 24 for 3 in the first hour and looked primed to take the opening-day honours when Nair's run out late in the day for 86, after being sent back by Malewar as they tried to steal a bye, gave Kerala a late lift. Vidarbha went into stumps on 254 for 4 on a VCA Stadium surface that flattened out as the day progressed, with Kerala at the receiving end of a slow-burn kind of treatment they meted out to Gujarat in the semi-final.
Malewar and Nair superbly negated Kerala's major threat - spin - as Jalaj Saxena and hometown hero Aditya Sarwate, who made the switch from Vidarbha ahead of the 2024-25 season, proved ineffective. The spin twins had combined figures of 0 for 92 off 26 overs, although Saxena was the only bowler who induced a possible opportunity when he managed to induce the outside edge from Malewar after he was beaten in flight and drift while on 110. The resultant edge as he pushed at the delivery that didn't turn as much flew past a vacant slip that had only a few overs earlier been taken out.
That was the only genuine wicket-taking delivery all afternoon; the Nair dismissal was entirely down to Rohan Kunnummal's presence of mind and pinpoint accuracy as he ran to his right from the slips to stop the ball that deflected off the keeper's pad. Then he fired a flat throw to the stumps to catch Nair well short after he was sent back by Malewar. Yash Thakur was sent in as a nightwatcher and remained unbeaten on 5 alongside Malewar, who was 138 not out - his highest score yet.
The partnership between Malewar and Nair not only denied Kerala for large parts of the day but also covered up for a slightly unconventional move from Vidarbha that may have been scrutinised had they collapsed. Vidarbha promoted Parth Rekhade, a lower-order batter to open in place of Atharva Taide, who had been left out. And after he was out two balls into the game - courtesy an lbw decision Kerala overturned through DRS - they sent in Darshan Nalkande, a seam-bowling allrounder who bats in the lower-order, at No. 3. That move backfired too as Nalkande mistimed a pull to deep square as Nidheesh picked up a second wicket.
Kerala's boisterous energy and keenness to take the game on had them burn an lbw review off Dhruv Shorey, the only genuine top-order batter in the top three. Shorey looked assured for the brief while he was at the crease but nibbled at a short and wide delivery from 19-year-old seamer Eden Apple Tom to the wicketkeeper to leave Vidarbha in choppy waters.
Malewar and Nair joined hands at a time of crisis and slowly rebuilt the innings, not through denial but by picking runs whenever the bowlers erred. Malewar left the ball well outside off, forcing the bowlers to attack the stumps. And as they went full, Malewar brought out some incredible wrist work - at times picking length balls from middle-and-off through midwicket and mid-on. He was equally impressive off the back foot, while tucking deliveries off his hip.
Malewar got to his half-century in style as he stepped out to launch Sarwate over the long-on boundary. The first real rash stroke he played was to get into the 80s when he chased a short and wide Nidheesh delivery to slash it towards third man. Nair occasionally kept pepping Malewar every time he erred, and was the more industrious out of the two - sweeping spinners off their lengths, on a couple of occasions reverse sweeping Sarwate to prevent him from settling into a rhythm.
Nair's driving through the covers was imperious - especially off rookie Apple Tom who was playing in only his third game, three years after debuting as a 16-year-old. Nair's defence was compact, as he negated Kerala's tactic of attacking the stumps and looking to get some reverse swing with a short midwicket in place.
Like he raised his fifty, Malewar showed no sign of nerves in the 90s either, stepping out to launch Sarwate over long-on to get to 99, and then whipping him through midwicket for a boundary to raise his century. Nair, meanwhile, brought up his half-century off 125 balls and then feasted on some tired bowling to charge towards what would've been his fourth hundred of the season, and 23rd overall, in the final session. Before his run out had him uncharacteristically flinging his bat in disappointment as he walked back to a dressing room that stood up to applaud a rescue.
Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
Sources: Titans allowing LB Landry to seek trade
The Tennessee Titans have granted former Pro Bowl linebacker Harold Landry III permission to seek a trade, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Landry is getting the chance to look at his options after he led the Titans with nine sacks last season while starting all 17 games and playing 83.1% of the team's defensive snaps. He also had 71 tackles, nine sacks, 18 pressures and four pass deflections.
He is due a $17.5 million base salary for the 2025 season.
The Titans hold the No. 1 pick in this year's draft after going 3-14 and met with Penn State outside linebacker Abdul Carter -- the No. 2 draft prospect on ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board -- during this week's scouting combine.
Landry, 28, earned his only Pro Bowl honor in 2021 when he had career highs in sacks (12) and tackles (74). The Titans signed Landry to a five-year, $87.5 million extension with $52.5 million guaranteed following the 2021 season, but he then didn't play in 2022 after tearing the ACL in his right knee that September.
He has 50.5 career sacks since joining the Titans as a second-round pick in 2018.
ESPN's Turron Davenport contributed to this report.
Carter makes case for going No. 1: 'I'm the best'
INDIANAPOLIS -- Former Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter made a case for a defensive player, specifically himself, to be the first player selected in the draft.
"Defensive players impact the game just as much as the quarterback," Carter said. "All the teams that have won Super Bowls, they have that one standout player. I feel like I'm that."
Carter is No. 1 on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s most recent mock draft and is the No. 2 prospect in ESPN's consensus rankings.
Carter is competing with quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders along with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to be the No. 1 pick. Carter said he met with the Tennessee Titans, who hold the top pick, at the combine.
"I feel like it's very realistic," Carter said of his chances to go No. 1. "I feel like I'm the best player in the country and the best player should be picked first. It's the work I put in with my dad, who trained me, and all the sacrifices I made, I know I'm the best."
Teams will have to wait to see Carter work out because a shoulder/arm injury is preventing him from taking part in the testing portion of the combine. That injury didn't prevent him from playing in Penn State's loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Carter said he's about 90% and will ramp up his workouts with Brent Calloway at Exos training facility in Plano, Texas, over the next month to get ready for his pro day at Penn State.
According to Carter, he's at his target weight of 248 pounds. He added that he is willing to put on whatever weight a team wants him to. Carter finished with 12 sacks last season.
Carter said he plans to attend the draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
McVay: 'First goal' is for Stafford to remain a Ram
The Los Angeles Rams' "first goal" is to have Matthew Stafford remain the team's starting quarterback, but the franchise is trying to balance short-term and long-term roster decisions by letting their quarterback gauge his value, coach Sean McVay said on the "Fitz & Whit" podcast.
"There's no discrepancy on us wanting him to continue to lead the way and be our quarterback," McVay said on the podcast, hosted by former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth (the latter of whom played for McVay on the Rams), that was released 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?'
"There is no dispute -- and 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?'"
The Rams have given Stafford's agent, Jimmy Sexton, permission to speak to other teams about his market value, McVay confirmed on the podcast. Stafford has two years left on his contract agreed to in 2022, with $4 million guaranteed in 2025 and none in 2026. He is set to earn $27 million this season, far below that of many other starting quarterbacks.
"Don't have to do anything in secret, want to make sure that we're all abreast of the situation, even though the first goal in mind is to have you come back here as the quarterback." Sean McVay, on letting Matthew Stafford's agent talk to teams
"And so, at the end of the day, we had something in mind, he had something in mind, and nobody was right or wrong," McVay said. "And then, ultimately, you're saying there's a ton of interest, because this guy's an incredible player."
McVay said on the podcast that the Rams, by letting Stafford's agent talk to other teams, are trying to make an educated decision on the direction they want to go.
"There does have to be an element of understanding, well, what does that future look like without this freakin' G that's been our quarterback for the last four years? And there's no wrong or right way to go about it, but I do think for us to be able to make the most educated decision in terms of the cash budget that we operate on, the draft comp that you would get in return, you just need to be able to have all the parameters to at least explore it," McVay said. "Don't have to do anything in secret, want to make sure that we're all abreast of the situation, even though the first goal in mind is to have you come back here as the quarterback."
After spending his first 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, the Rams traded for Stafford before the 2021 season then won the Super Bowl in their first season together.
In 16 games last season, Stafford, 37, completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
McVay also addressed the "honest conversations" he had to have with wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who was informed earlier this month that the team will try to trade him after eight seasons with the franchise. McVay said that although he loves Kupp, he has a "responsibility to the collective" as the Rams put their roster puzzle together for the 2025 season.
"This guy's changed my life," McVay said of Kupp. "It's uniquely special because my first year as a head coach coincided with his rookie year. I'm a better human, I'm a better coach and I'm a better person because of the influence Cooper Kupp's had on me. His legacy in my life and as a Ram is cemented forever."
McVay added that Kupp is "an all-time Ram from this time on whether he played another snap for the Rams."
After a record-breaking 2021 season that saw him lead the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, Kupp signed a three-year contract extension worth $80.1 million. He just completed the first season of that contract and is scheduled to have a cap hit of $29.8 million next season and $27.3 million in 2026.
Kupp's guaranteed salary next season is only $5 million, and he has no guaranteed money on the final year of the contract in 2026. If the Rams trade Kupp, 31, in a deal designated post-June 1, they will save $20 million toward their 2025 salary cap.
ESPN's Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.
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