Raiders Insider: Matthew Stafford is 'The Name to Watch' for QB1 if Rams Trade Star

Matthew Stafford is reportedly on the Las Vegas Raiders' radar early in the offseason.

Vic Tafur of The Athletic reported on the Raiders' quarterback situation Sunday and noted the veteran is "the name to watch" if the Los Angeles Rams do decide to trade him. The 37-year-old could be an ideal bridge quarterback if paired with a rookie or younger signal-caller who would then be expected to take over down the line.

Tom Brady might also play a role in how things play out given his position as a part owner of the Raiders:

But that would, of course, require the Rams to actually trade Stafford after he helped lead them to three playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title during his four seasons.

During a Friday appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (1:44 mark), NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the Rams gave Stafford's agent permission to talk to other teams about a trade.

However, Pelissero explained the "priority" is still for the Rams to bring the Georgia product back with such discussions helping both sides understand his value around the league.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport echoed that report and explained "this is not a trade request" as both sides evaluate the overall market and move forward accordingly:

That Las Vegas could be interested in Stafford comes as little surprise, as it has more questions than answers at the quarterback position after cycling through Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder last season on the way to a 4-13 record.

The Raiders have the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but they might have to trade up if they want to select either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders. After all, they are widely considered to be the best two quarterbacks in this year's class and could be gone by No. 6.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department projected as much in a mock draft earlier this month with Ward going No. 1 and Sanders going No. 3.

If the Raiders don't want to move up in the draft, they could look to add a veteran like Stafford to fill the position in the immediate future before either turning their attention to next year's draft or perhaps looking at the secondary options in this year's class who could be available in the later rounds.

Stafford would also position the team to better compete in the AFC West in 2025 given his track record.