With Pete Carrroll now officially the head coach of the Raiders, the rumors around Russell Wilson potentially playing in Las Vegas next year have taken off.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport talked about the possibility of Wilson going to the Raiders, and said the addition of Darrell Bevell to Carroll’s staff (if it happens) in Las Vegas is another sign that might point Wilson joining the Silver & Black.
Additionally, Rapoport said Wilson wanted to play for the Raiders a year ago, but the decision-makers in Las Vegas decided to go with Gardner Minshew instead.
Carroll was asked about the idea of adding Wilson, who will be a free agent after the season, and he didn’t confirm or deny an interest in his former quarterback.
“Right now, it’s so early and we’re just in the midst of trying to find the puzzle pieces, not even putting them together yet,” Carroll told Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask on What the Football. “So I can’t even say. Free agency hasn’t come yet… I can guess, but it would just be a guess. But I promise you, if you’re a real competitor, you’re not letting options get away from you. So we’re going to consider every option as a possibility.”
Wilson is past the prime years of his NFL career, but his familiarity with Bevell and the offensive scheme would allow the Raiders to enter the offseason with a little momentum.
Russell would come at a more team-friendly cost than someone like Sam Darnold, and his presence would buy the organization some time to develop any younger quarterbacks the Raiders add in the offseason.
As of now, it seems Bevell is the front runner to get the Raiders OC job, and The Athletic’s Tashan Reed said as much at the beginning of the week.
“There’s going to be some guys that he’s worked with before, and I think Darrell Bevel is probably the hottest name for them in terms of having the most momentum at offensive coordinator,” Reed said on the Just Win podcast. “But they do have to conduct a full search at both OC and DC. Because of the Rooney Rule, you have to interview at least two diverse candidates for both of those spots.”
In a column last week at The Athletic, Reed called Bevell the “likeliest candidate” to get the Raiders offensive coordinator job.
“Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell is the likeliest candidate to land the Raiders’ OC job, according to a league source,” Reed reported. “Bevell was the Seahawks’ OC from 2011 to 2017 and helped them win Super Bowl XLVIII. He has also been an OC with three other teams: the Minnesota Vikings (2006-2010), Detroit Lions (2019-2020) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2021). He has been with the Dolphins since 2022 and has helped the offense find success with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.”
Bevell’s offense was ranked DEAD LAST in the league the last time he was an OC for Jacksonville in 2021.
Why on earth are we even considering this guy?
No on Russell Wilson !
Ok, I’m no rocket scientist but let’s compare Russell Wilson to Aiden O’Connell…ok, other than gender… NOTHING COMES TO MIND! I don’t think it’s possible to say that ANYONE we currently have on the roster could be more productive than Wilson! Of course there are other candidates you’d rather see under center but let’s keep it 100… The idea of Wilson doesn’t make me want to try staring at the TV during a niner game in hopes of somehow jumping ship! But if I have to watch Minshew and O’Connell for another year I may end up in jail for beating my kids!!
We should draft Jaxson dart with the six pick because waiting till later to try and get him might be too late!