Matthew Stafford's future has been the biggest talking point in the NFL, with the Las Vegas Raiders firmly in the mix for the veteran quarterback. Thankfully for the LA Chargers, Stafford and the LA Rams have agreed to terms to keep him in Los Angeles for multiple seasons, ending the Raiders' pursuit.
With no franchise quarterback on the roster and a rather thin quarterback class in 2025, the Raiders will now pivot to other veteran options to lead the team next season; none of the other options are close to being as talented as Stafford.
Hilariously for the Chargers, the Raiders look to be stuck in the revolving door of mediocre quarterbacks yet again. Las Vegas is now shifting its focus to three other quarterbacks, all of whom will have a hard time competing in the loaded AFC West.
With Matthew Stafford remaining with the Rams, the Las Vegas Raiders now are expected to investigate veteran quarterback options that include Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Sam Darnold, per sources. pic.twitter.com/9RUGIZy5g9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2025
Raiders will never catch up to the Chargers with these quarterbacks
The Raiders are officially in the "convince ourselves we can get the most out of these mediocre quarterbacks" territory. This is the same territory the team found itself in when it deployed Jimmy Garoppolo as the starting quarterback. Oh, and let's not forget about Gardner Minshew last season.
Las Vegas had the king of mid-tier quarterbacks for years in Derek Carr. And ever since then, the Raiders have done their best job to bring in other mid-tier quarterbacks who are worse than Carr was back in his Vegas stint.
It has been truly special to watch for Chargers fans as the Raiders somehow find the worst possible place to be: in-between. Not bad enough to draft a franchise quarterback, but not good enough to elevate the mediocre quarterbacks they bring in.
We all saw how Justin Fields and Russell Wilson played for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. The Steelers are another team that have been stuck in the quarterback revolving door and they do not appear to have any interest in starting either quarterback next season.
That should tell you all you need to know about Wilson and Fields (as if Wilson's awful stint in Denver wasn't enough).
Sam Darnold was the Cinderella story of the season in 2024, as he nearly led the Minnesota Vikings to the No. 1 seed in the NFC as a spot-starter. Then he put together two horrendous games in Week 18 with the No. 1 seed on the line and in the NFC Wild Card Round.
The old Sam Darnold returned and he shriveled when the lights were the brightest. That is not a trait you want to have when competing in a division with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Sean Payton.
The Raiders would probably be better off just taking a chance on the best quarterback available in the 2025 NFL Draft. But then again, the team is obsessed with mediocre, experienced quarterbacks, so that won't happen.