The Las Vegas Raiders, after a lengthy coaching search involving Tom Brady, finally found the head coach they hope will lead them to immediate success, hiring Seattle Seahawks legend Pete Carroll.
Though known mostly for his defensive acumen, Carroll’s first order of business should be finding the franchise quarterback Raiders fans have been desperate for. Having the No. 6 pick in the current 2025 NFL Draft order could complicate matters on that front, though Carroll’s ties to a Super Bowl champion could allow Las Vegas to find its next starting signal-caller, even if he ends up being only a placeholder.
Russell Wilson Tied to Raiders After Pete Carroll’s Hiring
The Raiders likely won’t head into next season with Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell as the primary quarterbacks on the roster. With an entire offseason ahead of them, they’ll do something to at least add some competition to the QB room.
As soon as Carroll’s hiring was made official, one name that was floated was Russell Wilson, the quarterback who, under Carroll’s tutelage, won Super Bowl 48 with the Seahawks.
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
The head coach and quarterback had some tension dating back to their years in Seattle when Wilson reportedly requested Carroll to be fired as the Seahawks’ head coach before he was traded to the Denver Broncos.
Their relationship has seemingly been mended — as Wilson clarified last year — which could open the door for a reunion, should the Raiders be interested in a stopgap option at quarterback.
It is worth noting that Wilson reportedly had an interest in playing for the Raiders for a while before Carroll was hired as head coach, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Russell Wilson wanted to go the #Raiders last offseason… https://t.co/AICEfQSjK7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 24, 2025
Carroll and Wilson Have Had Plenty of Success Together
In Carroll’s 14 years as Seattle’s head coach, the Seahawks averaged 9.8 wins per season. Of course, most of those years were spent with Wilson as his QB, and their back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2013 and 2014 stand out as the peak of their working relationship.
Carroll stepped away from coaching last year, joining the Seahawks in an advisory role. His hiatus from NFL sidelines was brief, but he has a lot of work to do to help a Raiders franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in over 20 years.
Wilson, meanwhile signed a $1.21 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason, which came on the heels of the Denver Broncos releasing him with a record-setting dead cap hit.
Wilson has earned $305,362,520 throughout his NFL career. He has the fourth-highest career earnings in NFL history behind only Tom Brady ($332,962,392), Matthew Stafford ($364,306,037), and Aaron Rodgers ($380,658,010), according to Spotrac.
He finished 17th in PFN’s quarterback rankings for the 2024 season, earning a 75.3 QB+ grade (C) for his work in the regular season. While far from impressive, that was a better finish than both O’Connell (20th, 73.8 grade) and Minshew (35th, 60.6).
Wilson was fine after taking over as the starter for Pittsburgh, but he failed to elevate the team beyond its usual status as playoff fodder. He finished the year with a -0.00 EPA/DB (23rd) and ranked outside the top 20 both from a clean pocket (0.23 EPA/DB) and when pressured (-0.38 EPA/DB).
Wilson also struggled in the fourth quarter of close games (28th) and had just a 38.8% conversion rate on third down (17th).
At 36 years old, Wilson won’t be the long-term answer at QB for the Raiders, but his proven success with Carroll could ensure that their floor would be higher than it’s been in a long time.
