Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders recently completed their head coach and general manager search, with Pete Carroll taking the reins as head coach and John Spytek taking over as general manager.
With the decision-making team now fully in place, the organization will shift its focus toward building the roster for 2025 and beyond. The quarterback position, crucial to success in the NFL, will be the biggest question mark surrounding the current regime.
However, just because a new head coach and general manager are in place does not mean that they will be the only ones with input on who the team has under center.
Tom Brady Will Play a Key Role in Finding the Raiders’ Next QB
During his introductory press conference, Carroll weighed in on the Raiders’ quarterback position. “It’s our mission to build our team, this football team, up around the quarterback position … it isn’t the only spot,” Carroll said. “We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us, to seek clearly, and we are going to lean on Tom as much as we can for his insights because nobody has the insights that he has; he is that unique.”
🔴📽️ Live: Head Coach Pete Carroll and General Manager John Spytek address the media for the first time from the Intermountain Health Performance Center. https://t.co/nDWvvmu2pi
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 27, 2025
As a part owner of the Raiders, Brady played a key role in searching for the team’s head coach and general manager. Clearly, his influence in the organization did not stop there, as he will be part of the group that will look to find the next quarterback of the Raiders.
The Raiders have the second-most cap space in the NFL, with $92,332,914, and also hold the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The team has the assets to get its franchise quarterback, but now it will come down to who it likes and what avenue it chooses to address the need.
The Raiders currently have Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell under contract, so if they decide to go with a rookie, they can let these two battle it out for the starting job if they determine the rookie should sit back and learn the offense first.
Meanwhile, in free agency, several names could entice Las Vegas, including Justin Fields, Jameis Winston, and Sam Darnold. However, the name that has been floated most often in connection to the Raiders is Russell Wilson.
Russell Wilson wanted to go the #Raiders last offseason… https://t.co/AICEfQSjK7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 24, 2025
Carroll and Wilson have already worked together and won a Super Bowl, so it’s easy to see why this rumor has gained some steam. Wilson has expressed interest in returning to Pittsburgh, but as long as he’s a free agent, his connection with Carroll will connect him to Las Vegas. Whether both sides actually have mutual interest remains to be seen.
QB Isn’t the Only Position the Raiders Must Address
“There’s is a way to embrace the challenge the quarterback has for the rest of the football team as well,” Carroll said. “We need to support our guy, and we need to do what we can to make that work. It’s really about making a great football team around the quarterback position.”
SEE MORE: Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart
With Brock Bowers, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Kolton Miller in place on offense and Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins in place on defense, the Raiders have some foundational pieces to build around. However, the team has other needs that it must address in order to get the team to where they want it to be.
“Coach [Bill] Walsh taught me a long time ago that it’s the hardest position in the professional sports to play, and we need to make it as easy for them as possible,” Carroll said. “We’ll go about doing that by running the football, protecting them, taking care of the ball, playing great defense, and kicking the ball when we want to kick it. So, there’s a lot that goes into this.”
While Carroll acknowledged the team will be examining the quarterback position, he made it clear that the whole team is responsible for success. Time will tell what the Raiders do this offseason, but they have the draft capital and cap space to make significant roster improvements.