The Las Vegas Raiders will not get Matthew Stafford from the Los Angeles Rams, per a report from Ian Rapoport on X, formerly Twitter.
Per a report from The Athletic's Diana Russini, Stafford was to meet with the Rams on Friday. Our Hondo Carpenter said it would define whatever move happened.
As NBC Sports' Josh Alper wrote, "The quarterback and/or his representatives have also had conversations with the Giants and Raiders this week.
"Per Russini, those conversations have included discussions of a two-year contract that would pay Stafford $90-100 million in guaranteed money. That’s significantly more than Stafford is set to make over the final two years of his current deal and compensation has been the sticking point in previous talks with the Rams about continuing their relationship.
"Rams head coach Sean McVay said this week that is the team’s desired outcome, but it will take a different stance on the contract front. If nothing changes there, the Rams will likely start talking to the other teams about trade terms that would shake up the quarterback picture for several clubs heading into the 2025 season."
This is a blow to the Raiders, who were high on Stafford. The 37-year-old has played some of the best football of his career, and paired with Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly, it was an enticing thought to think of what his potential in the desert would be with a top offensive weapon in the first round like Ashton Jeanty or Tetairoa McMillan paired with Brock Bowers.
Now, the Raiders will likely look for a quarterback in the draft. It is not out of the realm of possibility that the Silver and Black spends a first-round pick on Shedeur Sanders, a quarterback whose stock is plummeting drastically as the draft cycle continues.
Cam Ward is unlikely to go to the Raiders unless they pull off a trade to move up in the draft. A quarterback later on, such as Will Howard, Jaxson Dart, or Jalen Milroe, is a bigger possibility for the Raiders.
The Silver and Black is moving away from gambling in the NFL Draft -- 2024 was a prime example of that. A quarterback risk would set them back big-time.
