Sportsnaut
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll helped resurrect Geno Smith’s career in Seattle. Now, one Seahawks reporter who covered Carroll believes the veteran coach may be interested in another quarterback reclamation project with Anthony Richardson.
Meanwhile, coming off injury, Malcolm Koonce is off to a slow start in his recovery, and Alex Cappa returned to practice for a battle at right guard.
On Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts named Daniel Jones their starting quarterback over Richardson — a move that immediately sparked trade speculation.
Shortly after the announcement, Emerald Spectrum reporter Corbin Smith suggested a trade that would land Richardson in Las Vegas, citing Carroll’s affinity for the third-year signal-caller and his proven track record of developing quarterbacks.
I could absolutely see the Raiders trying to trade for Anthony Richardson to work with him behind Geno Smith.
Pete Carroll has been a fan for a long time. And Pete has a pretty good track record with his staff of turning the careers around for QBs.
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) August 19, 2025
The connection isn’t purely speculative. After the 2023 draft, Carroll told reporters he gave “tremendous consideration” to drafting Richardson when Indianapolis selected him with the No. 4 overall pick — just one spot ahead of Seattle.
Pete Carroll was asked on @SeattleSports radio how seriously Seattle considered QB Anthony Richardson, who was drafted one spot ahead them to the Colts.
Pete: "We gave him tremendous consideration." pic.twitter.com/NcsGDzg9hG
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) May 1, 2023
The timing could work for Las Vegas. With roster cuts approaching, Aidan O’Connell and rookie sixth-rounder Cam Miller are battling to be the primary backup quarterback, but both struggled in Week 2 of the preseason. Carroll and his staff still need to decide on their No. 2 spot.
Even though Koonce sat out the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL, Las Vegas re-signed him to a one-year, $12 million deal — a clear sign of faith in his potential return.
However, Koonce is still working his way back from the knee injury. On the “Just Win Podcast,” The Athletic’s Tashan Reed explained why the pass rusher hasn’t generated much buzz this offseason.
“It definitely looks like he’s still coming along,” Reed said. “The reason why you haven’t heard much is he hasn’t been doing much in practice either.”
Reed’s co-host Ted Nguyen offered his perspective on Koonce’s current form, noting both positives and concerns.
“I like his hand usage,” Nguyen said. “I like what he’s doing from a pass rush plan. But for a player his size, he needs that explosive step. It might take a little time for him to get that, but it just doesn’t look like it’s quite there yet right now.”
If Koonce bounces back to look like the player who logged six sacks between Weeks 15 and 18...
