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Raiders Eyeing Russell Wilson, Two Other QBs After Matthew Stafford's Rams Return

The Raiders are back to square one.

Madison Williams

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields run onto the field before the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields run onto the field before the game. / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Rams decided to keep quarterback Matthew Stafford on a restructured deal after a week of uncertainty. The Rams had given Stafford permission to speak with other NFL teams, which he did.

There was speculation that Stafford would end up with the New York Giants or the Las Vegas Raiders, as those two teams were ready to offer lucrative, multiyear deals if he departed Los Angeles. Now the Giants and Raiders are starting back at square one to find their answer under center.

The Raiders specifically are going to look into acquiring Russell Wilson, Justin Fields or Sam Darnold, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday. All three of these quarterbacks are set to become free agents.

Wilson and Fields both played for the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, and it's likely that at least one of them will be returning to the team for the 2025 season. The Steelers are expected to figure out a deal for one of the quarterbacks before free agency begins on March 12.

The Raiders have previously shown interest in Wilson as his former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll took over the team for the upcoming season. Wilson has made it known, though, that he wants to remain a Steeler.

It's also been known for a while that the Raiders are interested in Darnold, who is coming off a huge year with the Minnesota Vikings. It's possible the Vikings could bring back Darnold for another year alongside 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury.

We'll see in the coming weeks who the Raiders end up acquiring—if anyone at all.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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