Earlier Thursday afternoon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson had informed Seattle of a short-list of teams that he would be willing to accept a trade to if one were to occur. This short-list included the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, and, yes, Las Vegas Raiders.
Rumors have been swirling of the Raiders’ desire to upgrade at the quarterback position and move on from current signal-caller Derek Carr ever since Jon Gruden returned to coach the Silver and Black. Whether it has been Tom Brady, Deshaun Watson, and now Russell Wilson, the media and others around the league do not seem to hold back when it comes to speculation around Gruden’s interest.
If Gruden and the Raiders do have a legitimate chance to acquire Wilson, it would be hard to argue against at least giving it a shot. The Wisconsin product is coming off of his fourth straight season with more than 30 passing touchdowns and a season where he threw for 40 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while being in the middle of the MVP race for the better part of the year.
Wilson also has a Super Bowl victory on his resume and a career passer rating of 101.7.
While the current Raiders QB Derek Carr is certainly talented, what truly separates Wilson is the use of his legs and his ability to extend plays, the same skill that Carr seems to lack and is at the center of his biggest critics. Jon Gruden could expand his playbook and get a lot more creative with Wilson under center.
Whether or not Mike Mayock and Gruden will actually pull the trigger on a deal, remains to be seen. A lot logistically would still need to be worked out, such as compensation and salary consequences. The Raiders would need to make a final decision on whether or not they believe they can truly win a championship with Derek Carr leading them.
While the likelihood of Russell Wilson beginning the 2021 NFL season as the starting QB of the Las Vegas Raiders is not necessarily high, let’s take a look at a few mock trade scenarios that would land Russ in the Silver and Black.