The Las Vegas Raiders' attempt to revamp their roster in the offseason has failed miserably, as the team is just 2-10 with a real possibility that they do not win another game during the 2025 NFL season.
While he has not received much help from the offensive line, it is clear that the team made the wrong decision trading for Geno Smith. Making matters more frustrating for Raider Nation, they were linked to a different NFC West quarterback, who is having an MVP-caliber season, before making the deal.
Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams nearly parted ways during the offseason before finding common ground on an extension, with the Raiders mentioned as one of the most likely landing spots. A recent report made it clear just how badly Las Vegas may have fumbled this opportunity.
The Raiders whiffed on an opportunity to land Matthew Stafford
Stafford and the Rams hit an impasse during contract negotiations last season, and it appeared that the future Hall of Famer was available on the trade market. While the Raiders were one of three teams linked to the Super Bowl champion quarterback, they were unwilling to meet the reported asking price of a second-round pick.
ESPN's Adam Schefter appeared on Unsportsmanlike, where he discussed Stafford's offseason market.
"Those teams, like any team trying to trade for a player, you want the best value possible. You want to give up the least amount of compensation. And, so, those teams would put together packages, but generally speaking, with most of these teams, I remember the conversation being that the Rams wanted at least a second-round draft pick and then some, and teams were stuck on a third-round pick," Schefter reported. "And I get that you always want to squabble and squabble over picks and players, and you can't always give in, but if it's a quarterback, I always think you really can't go wrong. And if it's a proven future Hall of Fame quarterback, like Matthew Stafford, like what are we doing? Okay, so you want the two, give them the two. The majority of these teams were tiptoeing around it and trying to get a value deal on Matthew Stafford."
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Considering the Raiders were clearly one of the teams pursuing Stafford, as minority owner Tom Brady publicly made quite a push, there is a good chance that Schefter is talking about Las Vegas as one of the teams that would not pony up a second-rounder.
While Smith has been one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, Stafford is one of the NFL's leading MVP candidates. He has led the Rams to a 9-3 record, throwing for 3,073 yards, 32 touchdowns, and four interceptions, while completing 66.3% of his pass attempts.
The Raiders wound up using their second-round pick to trade back in the draft twice before selecting Jack Bech, who has played just 26.6% of the offensive snaps and offered little production. While their draft likely would've shaken out much differently without the additional draft capital gained from moving back, they also would have still had the third-round pick that they sent to Seattle for Smith.
It is impossible to know if Stafford would have had the same success with Las Vegas. One clear thing, however, is that Smith has not been the answer, likely leaving the Raiders in a similar position as they were in last offseason: looking for a solution under center.