ESPN predicts Raiders will be Russell Wilson's next team
The Las Vegas Raiders need a quarterback in 2024 and it sounds like Russell Wilson could be that quarterback next season. This, of course, is according to a recent article from Jeremy Fowler on ESPN where he spoke with executives, scouts, and personnel in the NFL about the 2024 NFL season.
In the article, Fowler alluded to how Wilson's days with the Denver Broncos appear to be over. The Broncos benched Wilson for the final two games of the season after he refused to restructure his contract in case of an injury.
If Wilson's days in Denver are done, could the Raiders really make sense for him? Here's what the ESPN article had to say.
""[The Raiders] need a vet, and they are one of Wilson's original teams he wanted to go to," said the exec, referring to Wilson's wish list in 2021. "He'd stay in the [AFC West], West Coast, and [Wilson's wife] Ciara can do a [Las Vegas] residency [as a live performer]."
- Jeremy Fowler
In fact, the Raiders are the only team from that wish list that has a quarterback need. Rookie Aidan O'Connell performed admirably, but coach Antonio Pierce will be in win-now mode after earning the job on the basis of a 5-4 interim stint.
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Could the Raiders end up with Russell Wilson as their QB in 2024?
Wilson spent the first decade of his career in Seattle and appeared in two Super Bowls with the Seahawks, winning one. He was traded to the Broncos in the 2022 offseason in what now will go down as one of the worst trades in NFL history. Wilson was downright awful in 2022, throwing for just 16 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and getting dunked on by Patrick from SpongeBob during the Nickelodean broadcast on Christmas Day.
Wilson improved in 2023 under new Broncos head coach Sean Payton, throwing 26 touchdowns to only eight picks. The Broncos started 1-5 but made a late season playoff push. Once the Broncos fell to the Patriots, that was it for Denver and Wilson was prompty benched.
If the Raiders were to acquire Wilson, it'd give them their QB1 for the 2024 season but he wouldn't be a long-term answer. He's 35 years old (turning 36 during the 2024 season) and isn't the same guy he once was in Seattle.
Aidan O'Connell showed flashes of potential in the waning months of the 2023 season but does Antonio Pierce want to tie himself to the young quarterback? Head coaches don't get more than a few years to prove themselves so bringing Wilson in to mentor O'Connell could make sense if the Raiders think he can be effective.
Of course, the Raiders still don't have an offensive coordinator so until that gets figured out, we won't know what the team's plans are for the most important position in sports.
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