The NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis and that means the rumors around the Raiders and every other NFL team are going to pick up significantly in the days ahead.
The Combine was created for teams to get an up-close look at prospects, but it has turned into the week where more goes on behind the scenes than any other week on the NFL calendar.
The hot topic in Indianapolis this week is going to be Matthew Stafford and the trade rumors that have intensified around the 37-year-old quarterback in the last few weeks.
The Raiders appear to be in the mix for Stafford, so let’s take a look at that situation, as well as a few other nuggets around the Raiders moving into the big week in Indianapolis.
The Raiders are one of three teams confirmed to have reached out to the Rams about Matthew Stafford.
“The teams you’d suspect would have their hat in the ring have, indeed, thrown their hats in the ring,” Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported on Monday. “The New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders and others have shown interest.”
On a separate platform, Breer added another detail to the Stafford situation in Los Angeles.
“I don’t know how many people know this, but Matthew Stafford has had permission to talk to other teams for over two weeks now. This didn’t just happen… they still haven’t come back to the table with the Rams and worked out a deal,” Breer said on The MMQB NFL Podcast on Monday.
“So that sort of gives you an idea of where it is. And I think really going out there and getting a look at the Steelers and the Browns and the Giants and the Raiders and other teams and what they might be willing to do has cemented his thought that, yeah, I belong in this group of nine quarterbacks that’s making over $50 million a year. So if you’re the Rams, how do you put the toothpaste back in the tube?”
Breer reported on the Rich Eisen Show (he’s been everywhere this week) that Stafford has been permitted to talk to other teams about a potential trade going all the way back to the Super Bowl. So that’s at least 16 days the veteran quarterback has been free to talk to the Raiders or anyone else he might be interested in playing for.
There have been reports that teams are willing to pay Stafford more than what the Rams want to pay him, so this situation is only getting more complicated as time goes on.
The Rams would be fine moving forward with Jimmy G at quarterback?
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Rams view Jimmy Garoppolo as a viable option if Stafford is ultimately traded.
“Here’s what I know. The Rams are comfortable with Jimmy Garoppolo,” Russini said on the Scoop City podcast (13:10 mark in video below). “Jimmy will be a free agent. I expect them to sign Jimmy… This is not me. I’m not picking a side here. I’m just telling you [how they view him]. I can tell you the Rams feel good about Jimmy G. I don’t think this is a leverage play.”
It is sounding more realistic every day that Stafford could soon be on the move.
Everyone is talking nice, but it seems like the stars are lining up for a divorce between Stafford and the Rams if the course doesn’t change direction soon.
Will the Browns get in the way of the Raiders plan(s) at quarterback?
According to league insider Tony Pauline, the Browns are either going to draft Ward or make a play for Kirk Cousins.
“Several people in the league tell me that if the Browns cannot come away with Ward in the draft, their starting quarterback this upcoming season is likely to be Kirk Cousins, who will be reunited with Kevin Stefanski,” Pauline reported on Monday. “The two spent several years together in Minnesota when Cousins was the starting quarterback, and Stefanski had roles ranging from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator before he took the head coaching job in Cleveland.”
On a side note involving the Browns, it is widely believed the Browns are one of the teams Deion Sanders does not want Shedeur Sanders playing for.
If true, there may be only two teams ahead of the Raiders in line if they want the University of Colorado quarterback – the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants.
Would the Raiders still draft a quarterback if they trade for Stafford?
According to Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter, the Raiders will be a candidate to draft a quarterback even if they trade a veteran, and he believes the rookie quarterback to watch is Ohio State’s Will Howard.
“You may remember, I talked with you at the Super Bowl about a lot of talk about a Raiders trade. And then last week, I came out with my first five-round mock draft. And I had a bunch of people email me saying, Hondo, you left out one of the Raiders third-round picks, and I did not leave it out,” Hondo said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast this week.
“I had anticipated the Raiders using one of those picks to make a trade. So I just wanted to let you know that I still think that the Raiders, I think if it were today, would probably get Will Howard in the third round.”
Is there any scenario where Derek Carr could return to the Raiders?
It definitely doesn’t sound like there is any interest on the Raiders side to have a reunion with Carr.
Some of that might have to do with the history between Carr and the Raiders, but it also sounds like the new decision makers in Las Vegas are focused more on Stafford and one or two other potential trade options that haven’t been heavily discussed to this point.
Carr isn’t a free agent, but he could be in the next few months depending on how things play out with the new coaching staff.
The soon-to-be free agent ESPN’s Adam Schefter has been linking to the Raiders is Sam Darnold. It’s never wise to doubt Schefter, but Darnold wouldn’t move the meter a lot despite the strong season he had in 2024.
Remember, it was Gardner Minshew who was the more desirable free agent quarterback going into free agency a year ago.
Minshew got paired up with Luke Getsy as his offensive coordinator and Darnold joined Kevin O’Connell and arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver in Minnesota.
x: @raidersbeat
No stafford,no stafford. Can’t bare the thought of having his clown 🤡 wife on the news. Just be a mommy Kelly. It’s stafford show not yours.