Raiders tried to trade for veteran quarterback, now have to keep searching
Matthew Stafford will not be the starting quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025.
Onto the next.
The 37-year-old quarterback will remain with the Los Angeles Rams on a restructured contract.
LA’s quarterback is back: the Rams and Matthew Stafford reached agreement today on a restructured deal that keeps him in Los Angeles and quashes any and all trade speculation, per sources.
The first significant off-season QB domino has fallen. pic.twitter.com/wNwydqn49R
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2025
The Raiders and New York Giants were interested in trading for Stafford and both the Raiders and Giants reportedly had two-year contracts with guaranteed money in the $90-100 million range on the table and needed to work out trade details with the Rams, where Stafford has spent the past four seasons. The Rams, clearly, were interested in keeping Stafford as well and met with him Friday.
Stafford is entering his 17th NFL season. He threw for 3,762 yards in 2024 with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl championship in his first season there in 2021, after being traded there from the Detroit Lions, who made him the No. 1 overall draft pick out of Georgia in 2009.
The Raiders were hoping Stafford would be their third new Week 1 starting quarterback since they cut Derek Carr in 2023 after a nine-season run as their starter. Jimmy Garoppolo was signed as the starter in 2023 and Gardner Minshew was the Week 1 starter in 2024.
Now, it’s back to Square One.
The Athletic reported this week that the Raiders are heavily involved in the Stafford talks because they are not that high on the quarterbacks headed to free agency or the prospects at the top of the draft. Now, that the Raiders didn’t land Stafford, there is a major question where the team decides to go at the position.
New Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll said at the NFL combine this week the quarterback competition will be “widely contested.”
Among the free agents available will include Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Marcus Mariota. Las Vegas has been connected to virtually all of them this offseason.
The top prospects in the draft are Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. Las Vegas has the No. 6 overall pick in the draft.
The Raiders, who could opt to have incumbent Aidan O’Connell compete for the job, could also consider waiting a bit and drafting Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss or Will Howard of Ohio State, who played under new Las Vegas offensive coordinator Chip Kelly in 2024.
It’s all fluid.
What we do know Stafford for the Raiders’ first choice and that is no longer a possibility. The search continues.