Silver Minings: Raiders pivoting to Wilson, Darnold after missing on Stafford

Las Vegas is looking into other quarterback options after flirting with Stafford

The Las Vegas Raiders flirted with the idea of trading for Matthew Stafford, only to find out that Stafford will be returning to the Los Angeles Rams on Friday. So, the Raiders are back to square one in finding a quarterback and are considering going after impending free agents Russell Wilson and Sam Darnold, per The Athletic’s Michael Silver.

Granted, it’s widely been assumed that the Raiders would be interested in both Wilson and Darnold this offseason.

The idea of Wilson heading to Las Vegas was floated last year during free agency. Wilson has a long history with new head coach Pete Carroll, as they won a Super Bowl together with the Seattle Seahawks. As for Darnold, he’s widely considered the top quarterback on the open market, leading many to believe he could be heading to Sin City this spring.

Wilson completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 regular season games with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. He’d be more of a “stop-gap” solution under center, meaning the Raiders would likely still select a quarterback in April’s draft.

Meanwhile, Darnold revived his career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, throwing for a 66.2 completion percentage, 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions during the regular season. If signed, the plan would likely be for the 27-year-old to be a long-term solution in Las Vegas.

The NFL’s legal tampering period begins on Monday, March 10, at 9:00 a.m. PST, and free agency officially begins on Wednesday, March 12, at 1:00 p.m. PST.

In Other Raiders’ Links:

• NFL Combine recap: hear from the quarterback prospects and get a few cornerbacks and safeties who stood out during the workouts.
• Chip Kelly quarterback history: “The prolific play-caller has a penchant to maximize production from the quarterback position,” Silver and Black Pride’s Ray Aspuria wrote. “And his history is steeped in getting the most out of mid-tier talent. His long list of signal callers at his various stops isn’t a paragon of elite talent, mind you.”
• Michael Mayer on trade block: “The Raiders have had discussions with teams who have interest in tight end Michael Mayer, according to league sources,” The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed wrote. “Mayer hasn’t had the impact the Raiders hoped for when he was drafted in the second round in 2023.”
• Raiders get QB and WR in mock draft: The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer sent Shedeur Sanders and Matthew Golden to Las Vegas in a two-round mock draft.