Could Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll really reunite with Raiders?

With the dust settled on the Las Vegas Raiders‘ failed pursuit of Matthew Stafford, general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll must pivot to find a quarterback who can lead this team back to the playoffs in the ultra-competitive AFC West.

Carroll said at the NFL Scouting Combine that he’d like to create a similar competitive environment to the one he had with the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. That’s when Seattle signed Matt Flynn to a big-money contract and drafted Russell Wilson in the third round to compete with incumbent Tarvaris Jackson for the starting job. 

Wilson, of course, won that three-man competition and went on to have a distinguished tenure with the Seahawks, including two Super Bowl appearances. Carroll has a history of infusing his quarterbacks with confidence so that they play well.

“We try to build a team around the quarterback position because, as Coach [Bill] Walsh said a long time ago, it’s the hardest position in professional sports to play,” Carroll said at the combine. “We need to do everything we can to facilitate and make it as easy as possible for that guy.”

The Raiders plan to release veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew, so they’ll have only Aidan O’Connell and Carter Bradley on the roster. Following Carroll’s plan in Seattle, they could sign a veteran free agent and draft a rookie to compete for the starting job during training camp. Joining Carroll and Spytek, minority owner Tom Brady figures to be part of that decision-making process, along with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterbacks coach Greg Olson. 

“Any avenue where we can find a quarterback we’re going to explore,” Spytek said at the combine. “Obviously, there’s free agents, and we have some guys in the building that we want to give a chance to compete. And working with Coach [Carroll] and with Chip and Oly [Olson] and the whole offensive staff, we’re just going to try to find as many guys as we can to load that room up and have a great competition there.”

One free-agent quarterback who has been connected to the Raiders in media reports is the 36-year-old Wilson, who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs last season. Carroll and Wilson had a lot of success in Seattle, so on the surface, a reunion in Las Vegas seems natural. No one understands and could echo Carroll’s philosophy and approach to team-building better than the quarterback who spent a decade with him in Seattle, right?

But it’s not that simple. The Seahawks traded Wilson to the Denver Broncos three years ago because Seattle believed he was on the downside of his career. Plus, Wilson did not see eye to eye with Carroll’s vision of the offense. The “Let Russ Cook” movement reportedly led to Wilson asking ownership to choose between him and Carroll, and the 73-year-old head coach seems unlikely to have forgotten that. 

Sam Darnold is the top free-agent quarterback on the market and would make sense for Las Vegas — at the right price. Although the Raiders have the second-most cap space available in the NFL, they have several needs to fill on a team that finished 4-13 last season and might not be willing to match the salary Darnold could command on the open market. And he might remain in Minnesota, with the Vikings reportedly in negotiations to keep him in the fold.

Another veteran option is Aaron Rodgers. Though he’s 41 and coming off a disastrous stint with the New York Jets, Rodgers has a supporter in Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby.

“First year after an Achilles is one of the hardest things to do,” Crosby said on his podcast this week about Rodgers’ struggles last season. “I think with all the doubt, all the negativity around Aaron Rodgers — ‘Oh, he needs to retire,’ things like that, ‘He’s getting cut by the Jets’ — I think he’s going to come back and have a … big year this year, and I hope it’s in our town. That would be legendary.”

While Rodgers played better during the second half of the season in New York, how he fits with Kelly’s offense and, more importantly, into the culture Carroll hopes to create in Las Vegas are big questions to consider.

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A more likely scenario for the Raiders is to bring in a dual-threat quarterback trying to resurrect his career, like Justin Fields or Daniel Jones. Both players are still in their 20s and, like Darnold with the Vikings or Geno Smith with the Seahawks, could see a rebirth with some development and a positive approach.

Another veteran who could make sense as competition and a mentor in the quarterback room is Marcus Mariota. The Oregon product served as a backup in Las Vegas behind Derek Carr for two seasons, and Kelly coached him while with the Ducks.

On the draft front, Shedeur Sanders could make sense for the Raiders, who hold the No. 6 overall pick. Carroll has coached unique personalities like Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman and Michael Bennett. He could handle the ultra-confident Sanders. And Sanders, who said he had a formal interview with Las Vegas at the combine, has a good relationship with Brady. 

“He’s an all-time great,” Sanders said about Brady. “Being able to have that resource, being able to have that person I’m able to talk to and call whenever I’m having questions about the game … it’s truly amazing. I’m thankful for that.” 

Along with Sanders, the Raiders also met with Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and Dillon Gabriel at the combine. Kelly coached Will Howard at Ohio State last season, which would make for an easy transition to the offense. And Alabama‘s Jalen Milroe fits the athletic profile the Raiders are looking for at quarterback. 

There’s a wide range of possibilities for the Raiders to explore at quarterback, but it will be up to Spytek and Carroll to choose the right path. 

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.

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