Pros and cons of having Matthew Stafford as Raiders QB

The Las Vegas Raiders desperately need a signal-caller heading into the 2025 NFL season. 

Whether that comes through the NFL Draft or free agency remains to be seen, but the name that has been talked about since the offseason began is Matthew Stafford. 

The Rams recently granted Stafford and his agent permission to talk to other teams, and one of those teams includes the Raiders. While it is unknown what the Rams are asking for, trading for Stafford could vault the Raiders into discussion for the AFC West title. 

Raiders insider Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said on Tuesday that the Raiders "have emerged as a potential landing spot" for Stafford.

Even Raiders minority owner Tom Brady contacted Stafford's camp, Bonsignore wrote. Having Brady in the back pocket is a big deal, but whether it happens remains to be seen. Let's look at the pros and cons of having Stafford on the Raiders.

Pros of having Matthew Stafford on Raiders

Stafford knows how to win big games. It showed when he led the Rams to a Super Bowl title in 2021. It wouldn't have happened if the Rams and Detroit Lions didn't swap quarterbacks in Jared Goff for Stafford. 

Under Stafford, the Rams are 34-23. The Raiders would love to have that after a bunch of misses. Even Derek Carr went 63-79 in his nine seasons. 

With Stafford, you can almost guarantee he will throw for more than 3,000 yards. In his first season with the Rams, he threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns. 

If the Raiders get him, they can only hope he can repeat that just like when Rich Gannon's career flourished with the team. Most importantly, Stafford will have the command and respect of the locker room.

Cons of having Matthew Stafford on Raiders

The veteran QB will not come cheap. He is seeking a new deal with the Rams, or the team will be forced to trade him to possibly the Raiders, who will shell out a lot of money. 

The Raiders have $99.5 million available in cap space, according to Over the Cap. The Raiders can make a trade, but it will have to take some maneuvering of the salary cap to manage it correctly. 

And what are the Raiders going to give up? It is not clear how many seasons Stafford has left in him since he is 37, which is why the Raiders must draft a quarterback in case Stafford retires after the 2025 NFL season. The Raiders can only hope they can get Stafford until he is 40.

Something could happen within the next two weeks, but for now, the Raiders are interested in Stafford.