Silver minings: Mixed messages for Wilson-Carroll reunion in Las Vegas

ESPN reports that people around the league are split on if the quarterback and head coach will rejoin forces

With the Las Vegas Raiders in the market for a starting quarterback and Russell Wilson being a free agent this offseason, some have speculated that Wilson might head to Las Vegas after the Raiders hired Pete Carroll as head coach.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler shared what he’s been hearing about the reunion between Wilson and Carroll, and Fowler’s sources seem to be split on the matter.

“Wilson loved his season in Pittsburgh and is open to returning but is taking a see-what-happens approach to it all,” Fowler wrote. “Ex-Pete Carroll assistants believe Wilson could coexist with Carroll for the Raiders, too, having mended fences from their Seattle days. But others around the league are skeptical of the pairing. Wilson has also been connected to the Giants by a few people this week. He visited with the Giants last free agency, and New York is on his radar as a potential option in 2025.”

The head coach and quarterback spent 10 years together with the Seattle Seahawks and managed to make the postseason eight times, playing in two Super Bowls and winning one Lombardi Trophy. However, they didn’t end on the best terms as Carroll decided to move on from Wilson in 2022, trading Wilson to the Denver Broncos to make way for Geno Smith.

But, as Fowler noted above, the duo has made up since then and a reunion could be on the table. The Raiders may not be the only team interested in the 13-year veteran though with the Giants and Steelers also appearing to be in the mix, according to Fowler.

In Other Raiders’ Links:

• Chip Kelly’s scheme brings innovation: “Kelly has been in the NFL before and had success early on but started to slow down, leading him back to college,” Silver and Black Pride’s Marcus Johnson wrote. “He went to UCLA and turned that program around, making them a competitor in the Pac-12. Now, he is joining the Raiders and hoping to rebuild his reputation in the NFL, similar to Kliff Kingsbury with the Washington Commanders.”
• What QBs fit with Kelly?: S&BP answers that question and several others in this week’s mailbag column.
• Mock draft has Raiders loading up on offense: “That’s right. Running backs matter again. And a running back like Ashton Jeanty can be an offense’s most valuable player,” Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings wrote. “Jeanty is a special RB talent, with a near-generational evasion fusion that combines elusiveness, contact balance, vision, and relentlessness.”
• Adam Butler looking for raise: “Butler would love to come back, he said, but the veteran is looking for a little respect after he settled for a one-year, $1.8 million deal a year ago,” via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.