The Raiders are in search of a culture reset, and that begins with the head coach. With the hiring of Pete Carroll, is Russell Wilson to the Raiders inevitable?

The Las Vegas Raiders are in need of a culture shift after a third consecutive losing season. With the hiring of Pete Carroll, that move is done to begin this shift with a solid foundation. Now that Carroll is at the helm, could they target free-agent quarterback Russell Wilson?

The Raiders desperately need a quarterback, as after Derek Carr left the team, they’ve yet to find a suitable replacement for him. Wilson wouldn’t be the long-term answer at quarterback, but he could begin Carroll’s tenure with a winning season.

In 2024, Wilson threw for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran the ball for 155 yards and two rushing touchdowns. These numbers are a bit skewed due to Wilson only playing eleven games with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wilson was out due to injury, but even when he came back from it, the Steelers opted to put out Justin Fields as their starter. Eventually, once Fields’ play on the field began to deteriorate, Wilson was named the starter, and the Steelers went on to have a successful season.

Wilson elevated that Steelers offense, despite Fields being more athletic than he is at this age. I believe that Wilson could come into this Raiders offense and elevate it in a similar manner. With Brock Bowers, I could see Wilson feeding him targets and leading to a very productive offense.

The Raiders may have missed out on Matthew Stafford, but they can find solace in reuniting Wilson with his head coach of many years when he played with the Seattle Seahawks. Something the Raiders lacked last season was a quarterback who was willing to take chances.

Too many times, their offense stalled out on drives due to checkdowns or the inability to push the ball downfield. With Wilson, that won’t be the case. He displayed that despite his age, his signature deep ball is still a weapon to be feared in the NFL.

Wilson won’t be the future quarterback for the Raiders, but he could give them a winning season. With him on the roster, they could potentially make a playoff push. The AFC West projects to get better next season, and if they want to keep up, Wilson makes sense for them to target.