The Las Vegas Raiders were in the running for Los Angeles Rams signal caller Matthew Stafford. The well-covered meeting between minority owner Tom Brady and the 37-year-old passer was the cause of a lot of discussion amidst Stafford's shaky future in L.A.
On Friday, it was reported that Stafford would stay with the Rams; in the process, he was able to secure himself a good future.
Per Las Vegas Raiders On SI, Stafford was offered $100 million over two years ($50 million per). Per The Sporting News, "Stafford reportedly will make less with the Rams than he would have in New York or Las Vegas."
At the time of this article, the details of the deal are yet to be released. According to The Sporting News, "Stafford's new deal likely won't heavily impact the Rams' salary cap situation in 2025, as he was already set to count for $49.7 million against the cap.
"So, why was Stafford so insistent on a new deal? Just $4 million was guaranteed on the remainder of his previous contract, and his actual base salary for 2025 was set to be only $27 million. The new deal will pay Stafford more money in 2025 and should not debilitate the Rams' flexibility."
But where do the Raiders land in all of this? How should their role in this be viewed?
At the end of the day, Stafford choosing the Rams over the Raiders had nothing to do with Las Vegas. Las Vegas Raiders On SI can say definitively that Stafford's move had everything to do with the fact that he is a father who didn't want to uproot his family.
Stafford's choice to pick the Rams was not on Brady; the future Hall of Fame quarterback did everything he could, offering the most money and a good situation with coach Pete Carroll.
The Silver and Black was serious about nabbing the former No. 1 overall pick. The 2025 NFL Draft class is poor, to say the least, at the quarterback position. The Minnesota Vikings' Sam Darnold reportedly likes it in Minneapolis and wants to stay put.
They could very well franchise tag him with the promise of good money in the future. J.J. McCarthy does lurk, however. Plenty believe that Russell Wilson is still a viable option, too.
