Report reveals Raiders' alleged thoughts on Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Sam Darnold

A report from Friday morning indicated that the Las Vegas Raiders could acquire quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Los Angeles Rams before the NFL Scouting Combine concludes this weekend. 

Dianna Russini, Jourdan Rodrigue, Dan Duggan, Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur of The Athletic later expanded on why the Raiders are willing to give up draft assets and up "to $100M guaranteed" to land the 37-year-old signal-caller this offseason. 

"There are members of the Raiders' offensive coaching staff who prefer adding a proven veteran quarterback to taking a dice roll on a rookie quarterback," those reporters explained. "The 2025 draft class isn’t perceived to be deep at quarterback, and there’s a chance that the only options worth drafting in the first round will be gone by the time the Raiders are on the clock."

It's possible, and maybe even likely, that Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders will be off the board when the Raiders are on the clock for the sixth overall pick of the 2025 draft on April 24. However, numerous anonymous front-office sources, scouting directors and other personnel have made it clear throughout the winter that neither Ward nor Sanders is "worth" such a valuable draft choice. 

Before the Raiders-Stafford rumors heated up this week, Las Vegas was linked in stories with Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. Darnold will be eligible to speak with other clubs when the free-agent negotiating window opens on March 10 unless his rights are retained before then. Still, it sounds like the Raiders aren't interested in signing the 27-year-old who would be viewed as the top quarterback in free agency. 

"If the Raiders don’t land Stafford," The Athletic added, "it’s unlikely that they’ll make a large financial commitment to another veteran quarterback who’s expected to be available this offseason." 

Assuming that's accurate and Stafford remains with the Rams, the Raiders could pivot to less-expensive options such as Russell Wilson and Justin Fields of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson and Fields are on track to become free agents when the new league year opens on March 12, but Pittsburgh could sign either to a deal before March 10.