The Las Vegas Raiders are considering a pair of former Pro Bowl quarterbacks after missing out on Matthew Stafford.
The Raiders are investigating veteran quarterback options after Stafford opted to stay with the Los Angeles Rams, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Those options include Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Sam Darnold.
Wilson is a name that will draw a lot of attention. Joining the Raiders would reunite him with Pete Carroll, with whom he enjoyed a great deal of success on the Seattle Seahawks. The Pittsburgh Steelers might not want Wilson back, and there have been reports that the veteran would be eager to play under Carroll again.
Wilson is coming off an underwhelming run with Pittsburgh in which he threw for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 games.
Darnold is also an intriguing option. He is coming off a season that saw him throw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns with the Minnesota Vikings, though it ended quite badly. Despite the poor finish, he is still viewed as perhaps the best quarterback on the free agent market if the Vikings do not use the franchise tag on him, and the Raiders have been linked to him before.
Fields is the youngest quarterback of the three, and arguably the least accomplished. However, reports have suggested that the Steelers would prefer to keep him.
The Raiders appear highly likely to land a veteran quarterback at some point in the offseason. They were very much in on Stafford before the former Super Bowl champion ultimately opted to remain with the Rams.
Aaron Rodgers could also be an option, but another team appears to be prioritizing him right now.
Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell, and Desmond Ridder each started at least one game at quarterback for the Raiders last season, and none of them were particularly convincing when they played. A pair of late-season victories knocked them down to No. 6 in the NFL Draft order, so a veteran is probably their only option when it comes to improving at the position for 2025.
