The Raiders were among the teams interested in Matthew Stafford before his return to the Rams on a restructured contract. Now with Stafford off the table, Adam Schefter reports Las Vegas are expected to investigate veteran quarterback options including Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Sam Darnold.
Wilson joining the Raiders would re-unite him with HC Pete Carroll.
This week, Ray Fittipaldo reported Steelers GM Omar Khan said all options are on the table for QB next season and he prefers to bring back Wilson or Fields, but wouldn’t limit themselves as both are free agents.
Darnold, meanwhile, is widely viewed as the best available unrestricted free agent if he reaches the open market.
Earlier this month, Adam Schefter reported the Raiders were expected to have an interest in bringing in Darnold to Las Vegas this offseason.
Schefter added that Darnold re-signing with Minnesota remains a possibility, as does the franchise tag, given that Darnold will likely be the most sought-after free agent quarterback.
Wilson, 36, is a former third-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2012. He was entering the final year of his five-year, $89.142 million contract when the Seahawks signed him to a four-year, $140 million extension that included a $65 million signing bonus.
The Seahawks traded him to the Broncos in 2022 in a blockbuster deal. Wilson stood to make base salaries of $19 million and $22 million over the final two years of his deal when he agreed to a new five-year, $245 million extension that included $165 million in guaranteed money.
However, Wilson didn’t even reach the new portion of his deal before being released by the Broncos, who absorbed a record $85 million dead cap hit. The Steelers later signed him to a one-year contract for the veteran minimum.
In 2024, Wilson appeared in 11 games for the Steelers and completed 63.7 percent of his pass attempts for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He added 43 carries for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Darnold, 27, is a former first-round pick of the Jets back in 2018. He was in the final year of a four-year, $30.370 million rookie contract when he was traded to the Panthers.
Carolina exercised Darnold’s fifth-year option for 2022 after acquiring him from New York. He made a base salary of $18.858 million in 2022 under the option.
Darnold was an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career when he signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the 49ers in 2023. He joined the Vikings this past offseason on another one-year deal.
In 2024, Darnold appeared in all 17 games for the Vikings and completed 66.2 percent of his pass attempts for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He added 67 carries for 212 yards and a touchdown.
We’ll have more on the Raiders’ quarterback situation as the news is available.
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