When Pete Carroll was hired as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, it almost went without saying that he would try to add some familiar players. To install his previously successful culture, it stood to reason that several of these players would come from the Seattle Seahawks, his former team.
In March, quarterback Geno Smith was in the midst of contract extension talks with the Seahawks when, out of nowhere, the Raiders swooped in and traded for the veteran signal-caller. His relationship with Carroll is incredibly unique and made for an easy reunion when the opportunity presented itself.
Carroll was recently on an episode of the "Get Got Pod with Marshawn Lynch & Mike Robinson," who are two of his former running backs from his days in Seattle.
DK Metcalf wanted to reunite with Pete Carroll on the Raiders
Here, the 73-year-old coach acknowledged having another former Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, on his radar this offseason before the move to acquire Smith came to fruition.
"With [Russell Wilson] coming up in free agency, we needed a quarterback," Carroll said. "So, there was conversation in that short amount of time, before we got Geno [Smith] that, who knows? There could be a shot."
Smith ultimately feels like a far better fit for the Raiders than Wilson would've been, but it's no surprise Wilson was at least considered. Robinson then praised the move to bring Smith to the Raiders, and Lynch added a funny comment.
"He tried to get everybody up out that building, [he] tried to have the Oakland Seahawks,” Lynch said.
Robinson then threw a wrench into things when he mentioned that another former Seahawk may have wanted to end up in Las Vegas ahead of the 2025 season.
“Remember DK [Metcalf] wanted to go there," Robinson said.
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Metcalf, of course, ended up being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers after trade rumors began swirling around him at last year's trade deadline. The Raiders needed a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, so he was an obvious fit, and surely, he was on Las Vegas' radar.
Robinson seems to have some first-hand knowledge that Metcalf wanted to be traded to the Raiders. At a minimum, the Steelers don't fit some of the criteria he wanted in a new team when he asked for a trade: home games in warm weather, a better quarterback situation and being closer to winning a championship.
With a swap of late-round picks involved in the trade, Pittsburgh essentially gave up a second-round pick to get Metcalf. Then, they gave him a four-year, $132 million contract extension upon his arrival.
Both of these things may have been too rich for the Raiders to ever be a serious trade suitor. However, there was clearly some level of interest from both sides and it is no surprise to find out that Metcalf wanted to reunite with Carroll.