Former Seattle Seahawks head coach and Super Bowl champion Pete Carroll didn't come out of retirement just to sit on his hands. He's back in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders and locking arms with new part-owner Tom Brady and GM John Spytek, it appears as though they are poised to make a huge splash on the quarterback market early this offseason.
While nothing is certain, it seems like there is some growing momentum towards the Raiders potentially landing veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was recently given permission by the Los Angeles Rams to reach out to other teams and gauge his value on a new contract. The ultimate goal of the Rams may not have been to trade Stafford, but allowing him to speak with other teams always opened up that possibility.
And it was previously reported that Stafford drew some significant interest from both the Raiders and Giants after the Rams gave him that permission.
Now, it seems the smoke from those rumors is leading us to an actual fire. There are now multiple reports out there from various reporters that the Raiders could be a front-runner to acquire Stafford in the event the Rams would trade him.
Raiders considered possible front-runner for Matthew Stafford trade
As each day ticks on, I move more and more toward Stafford leaves Rams for Raiders.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) February 27, 2025
So much talk here in Indianapolis about Matthew Stafford and the @Raiders. Per a league source: "It's picking up steam"
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) February 27, 2025
Vincent Bonsignore was all over the Raiders' pursuit of Pete Carroll during the head coach interview cycle, and it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that his sources are on point with this one as well. Albert Breer of The MMQB also said the Raiders have serious interest in Stafford, so it's possible that this would be the first major domino to fall this offseason at the quarterback position.
And that would make sense because if Stafford is available, he would be the best quarterback available without question.
In the game of musical chairs that is played annually at quarterback, a variety of older veteran quarterbacks could be or will be changing teams this offseason, including Stafford, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, and Russell Wilson, among others. Stafford would be the top prize, especially when you consider the Raiders' alternatives of Sam Darnold at $40 million per year (potentially) or waiting to see who might or might not fall to you in the 2025 NFL Draft.
It would be a bold move but why wouldn't Carroll consider it? If you feel like Stafford is the best QB on the market, you go and you get him, even if it's a shorter-term investment. As long as it doesn't cost the Raiders their first-round pick in 2026, which could be very valuable, this might be the best investment they could make in their franchise in 2025.