Russell Wilson to Vegas? Raiders hiring Pete Carroll sparks QB change talks among fans
The Las Vegas Raiders inked a three-year deal to appoint Pete Carroll as their new Head Coach.
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Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson (Image Credits: L-via AP, R-via IMAGO)
The Las Vegas Raiders’ search for a new Head Coach has come to an end. The team has hired an experienced HC and Super Bowl XLVIII Champion Pete Carroll to bring in a much-needed change within the culture of the organization. He stepped down in 2024 and initially planned to return to the University of Southern California to teach, and stayed in touch with the Seahawks and served as an advisor to the team post-retirement.
However, for a man who has spent the majority of his life in football facilities, it was hard to stay away from the game. As per NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, Pete Carroll has signed a three-year contract with a fourth-year team option with Las Vegas. He is now the oldest HC in the NFL and will turn 74 later this year.
Pete Carroll spent 14 years coaching the Seattle Seahawks and led the team to its sole Super Bowl win in 2013 with Russell Wilson as his quarterback. Interestingly, he now leads a team owned by Tom Brady, a quarterback who was on the other side of the ball in Super Bowl XLIX.
The infamous game that haunts Carroll to this day as he decided against handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch to run the ball and made Wilson run a pass play. Ultimately, Malcolm Butler wound up intercepting the quarterback’s pass and the Patriots won the Super Bowl.
Deal is now done: Pete Carroll is the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. https://t.co/HFIINrv9tN pic.twitter.com/96qH9CBvOi
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 24, 2025
The Raiders would be the perfect destination for Russell Wilson
Bad memories aside, Russ and Pete Carroll have both had a successful run together. Now that he is entrusted with the task of coaching the Raiders, there is a good chance that he would be willing to pick up the phone and reach out to the veteran quarterback. It will not be a challenge for Russell Wilson to sign a deal with Las Vegas as he played this year on a one-year veteran minimum contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Would he be the best choice for the Raiders? Probably not but he would do a better job than Aidan O’Connell. Besides, he led the Steelers’ offense to a postseason appearance this year. Russ still has gas left in his tank and if one views this from the Raiders’ perspective, the team can improve their quarterback situation by bringing on a Super Bowl-winning veteran who has chemistry with the HC without breaking the bank.
Ideally, Vegas should draft a quarterback this year. However, the team has the sixth overall pick in the draft and this year’s draft class has two good quarterbacks; Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, both of whom will be snapped up by the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants that are higher up than the Raiders.
This situation increases the odds of the Raiders reaching out to Russell Wilson. The team can instead utilize its draft pick to select a talented wide receiver to provide the veteran quarterback another piece to work with. For Wilson, the Raiders would be a good fit because of Pete Carroll.
Both of them understand how to work together and when there is chemistry between a QB and the HC, the entire process of establishing a good offense becomes convenient. Another reason that Wilson would consider the Raiders is because of Brock Bowers. The rookie tight end made a name for himself this year. Although the Raiders offense was below average, Bowers was the only breath of fresh air on that roster.
Related: Rex Ryan could become Cowboys’ next DC after getting ignored by the Jets
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Sumedh Joshi
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