The Las Vegas Raiders have finally found their next head coach, as Pete Carroll and the Raiders agreed on a three-deal with a fourth-year team option on Friday.
The former Seattle Seahawks head coach will look to revitalize a Las Vegas team that has posted three straight losing campaigns and tallied a 4-13 record in 2024. The franchise also officially hired John Spytek as general manager on Thursday, who served as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager for two seasons.
One of the primary reasons for the Raiders’ struggles over the last few years has been abysmal quarterback play. Las Vegas has shuffled through multiple starting signal-callers since the departure of Derek Carr in 2023.
Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell started the majority of the season for the Raiders, and neither showed much promise. Spytek must address quarterback this offseason, and due to the hiring of Carroll as head coach, TWSN’s Daniel Alameda predicts Las Vegas will sign Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller Russell Wilson in 2025 free agency.
The Las Vegas Raiders are in a major need of a New Quarterback, but with the news that they have hired former Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, adding Free Agent Russell Wilson to the team makes too much sense.
The Raiders on one hand are in a weird state, looking for a franchise quarterback, but with Tom Brady having say in roster construction now, they could look to add a Veteran to be a bridge quarterback. If the Raiders choose to draft a quarterback like a Jalen Milroe or a Shedeur Sanders, they could sit behind Russell Wilson for a year and develop.
Wilson and Carroll spent 10 seasons together in Seattle. The pair notched two Super Bowl appearances, won Super Bowl XLVIII, and also tallied four division titles from 2012-2021. The duo was one of the most successful quarterback-head coaching tandems in the NFL during the 2010s, and a reunion in Las Vegas could make sense.
Though Wilson struggled at the end of the season for the Steelers, the veteran had a nice career resurgence with Pittsburgh in 2024. Wilson tossed 16 touchdowns to just five interceptions and posted a 6-5 record as the starter.
The 2012 third-round pick will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and Pro Football Focus projects Wilson will land a two-year deal worth $70 million with $40 million guaranteed. That averages out to $35 million per year.
The former Pro Bowler is no longer an elite quarterback and wouldn’t be a long-term answer at the position for the Raiders, but Wilson would provide steady play and serve as a solid veteran bridge who could lead Las Vegas back to the postseason and serve as a mentor to the team’s potential rookie quarterback if the Raiders go down that route in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Additionally, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe lists Wilson as a potential offseason quarterback target for Las Vegas.
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
Overall, Russell Wilson wouldn’t be the most exciting offseason acquisition for the Raiders at quarterback, but his familiarity with Carroll and adequate play with the Steelers in 2024 makes him an intriguing option to be Las Vegas’ starting signal-caller in 2025.
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