Everything old is new again, as the Las Vegas Raiders officially hired Pete Carroll as their next head coach. A longtime fixture on the Seattle Seahawks sideline, Carroll spent the 2024 season out of football but has made his triumphant return to lead a woeful Raiders team. While there are a few talented players on the team, this organization lacks stability at the quarterback position. With Aidan O’Connell struggling, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports Pete Carroll could bring old friend Russell Wilson to Vegas to serve as a short-term option under center.
With Pete Carroll taking over the Raiders, one name I’ve heard to watch at QB: Russell Wilson.
They’ve mended fences, per source, and Wilson could be a stopgap while the Raiders develop a long-term answer.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) January 24, 2025
Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll spent the better part of the 2010s together, combining forces as quarterback and head coach to win a Super Bowl and come one yard away from winning another. While the relationship grew strained in the early 2020s, Howe’s report states the two have set their differences aside and could work towards a reunion. While this could be a storybook ending for both player and coach, would a signing actually make sense?
Pete Carroll Could Bring Russell Wilson Back to AFC West With Raiders
Russell Wilson is no stranger to the AFC West. Seattle traded the disgruntled quarterback to the Denver Broncos in 2022 and was supposed to be the missing piece on a championship-caliber roster. Instead, the one-time Super Bowl champion crumbled, putting up his worst season under then-head coach Nathaniel Hackett. While Wilson improved in Year 2 under Sean Payton, it wasn’t enough to save his job. The team cut Wilson after one season and moved forward with first-round pick Bo Nix.
Wilson landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and proved that, while he’s not the player he once was, he’s still a starting-caliber quarterback. Starting and appearing in 11 games, the quarterback went 6-5 while completing 63.7% of his passes for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He did all this despite only having one reliable receiver in George Pickens and an unremarkable offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith.
Nobody is claiming the present-day version of Russell Wilson is still a borderline top-five quarterback, but Pete Carroll can probably get more out of him than Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew. Better coaching and quarterback play from the Raiders will be bad news for the Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos, but what are the odds the quarterback leaves Pittsburgh?
Future In Pittsburgh?
Technically speaking, Russell Wilson is still under contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following his release from the Broncos, Wilson signed a cheap one-year deal to re-establish his value as a starting quarterback. The plan somewhat worked, as he seemed destined to capitalize on his strong play early in the season. However, the team crashed down the stretch, losing five straight games and possibly forcing Mike Tomlin to re-evaluate his plans for this team.
Depending on who you listen to, some reports out of Pittsburgh suggest members of the organization would rather let Wilson walk, re-sign Justin Fields, and select a young quarterback in the first or second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The biggest argument for signing Wilson is that he’d be relatively cheap. While he is a starting-caliber quarterback, nobody wanted to break the bank for his unconventional style of play. However, now that Pete Carroll is in the picture, the Steelers might not want to engage in a Russell Wilson bidding war.
From the outside looking in, Justin Fields seems like the better option for Pittsburgh. Look for Wilson to leave in free agency and rejoin the AFC West for the 2025 season.
Main Photo: Joe Nicholson – USA Today Sports
