Once again the Las Vegas Raiders were used as leverage. This time, it was Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, in an attempt to get more money from his current team. And, shamefully, it worked out perfectly for him.
The Raiders are in dire need of a quarterback. So, the idea of getting a quarterback who has won a Super Bowl, and was once considered one of the most talented throwers we have ever seen, was a dream in itself. Of course, it was really just a pipe dream. But, the Raiders felt like they had a real shot.
Before entering the 2025 NFL Draft, the Raiders thought it made perfect sense to pursue Matthew Stafford. This draft class isn’t the best at the position, and the Raiders had a lot of money to spend with other big-time needs at positions that could be addressed in the draft. Obviously we are sitting here now, and that just won’t be the case, unless getting Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is a possibility, along with former New York Jets and Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
Stafford wanted $50 million a year. No problem, the Raiders let him know they would be more than willing to do that, as they plan to enter the 2025 new league year with around $100 million in cap space. The Rams weren’t budging on giving Stafford that number, but after seeing that the New York Giants and Raiders were going to, they had no choice.
And just to make things worse, the Raiders really never had a shot.
“It never really got close. I think the important thing is, at the start of this process, I had been pretty open about some of the communication and clarity that was deserved,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said on the Dan Patrick Show. “I wanted to be clear and have open dialogue throughout that process. The end goal in mind was always to get him back. I realized how much I wanted to get that solved when I realized how much better I had been sleeping the last few nights.”
Now, he could be just talking to talk — this is a business and everyone is competitive, so why give anyone any credit outside of your team. Or, he could be telling the truth. It does feel like there never really was a chance when you sit and look back at how all the details unfolded.
But, the Raiders will have their shot. They will have their turn at getting a QB. It may just take some time.