The Las Vegas Raiders need a quarterback, and they may have to explore some rather unfortunate methods to acquire one.
Obviously, the Raiders would prefer to land a quarterback in the NFL Draft. After all, what rebuilding team doesn't want to find its franchise signal-caller with one of the top picks in April?
But the problem is that Las Vegas is sixth in the draft order, and unlike 2024, this isn't a very deep quarterback draft class. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are regarded as far and away the two best prospects at the position, and the Raiders may not land either of them.
That means Las Vegas may have to turn its attention to free agency, and a rather intriguing (if you can call it that) option will be available to the club this month: Russell Wilson.
A case can be made for Wilson as the Raiders' temporary answer under center thanks to the fact that Pete Carroll coached him for 10 years in Seattle, even if rumor has it that the two Super Bowl champions were not exactly simpatico toward the end of Wilson's tenure with the Seahawks.
Nevertheless, speculation is swirling that Wilson and Carroll could reunite in Las Vegas, and Matthew Berry of NBC Sports is confirming that he heard as much at the Scouting Combine.
"I heard that there’s something to the Pete Carroll – Russell Wilson reunion in Las Vegas rumors," Berry wrote. "I heard there have even been conversations and the thought process is, some version of: 'Hey, we both got fired in Seattle, we were better together than apart, let’s figure out a way past our differences and run it back,' or some such. It makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels."
Well, technically, Wilson didn't get "fired" by the Seahawks. He actually requested a trade and got one, but the point is still understood.
Wilson could potentially serve as a one-year stopgap for the Raiders, who may also consider taking a signal-caller like Jalen Milroe or Jaxson Dart if they can't bag one of Sanders or Ward. The 36-year-old could then act as a mentor as well as a bridge to the future.
