Raiders rumors: Russell Wilson at the league's minimum would be a no-brainer

Last season, the Las Vegas Raiders trotted out three different starting quarterbacks before giving Aidan O'Connell the full-time job after Halloween. O'Connell had his bumps along the way, but for a rookie fourth-round pick who was expected to hold the clipboard in Year 1, you have to be impressed by what he did.

In the final four games of the season, O'Connell helped the Raiders to a 3-1 record, beating all three AFC West foes, and tossing eight touchdowns vs zero interceptions in the process. One of the teams he beat was the Denver Broncos, who had recently benched Russell Wilson for Jarrett Stidham, a scenario that played out in Las Vegas the year before with Derek Carr and Stidham.

Now, Wilson could be looking for a new home in 2024, and a recent report should have every team in the league with a quarterback question listening.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler stated Wilson could accept a deal with a new team for the league's veteran minimum, and the Raiders should absolutely entertain that if it i happens.

Raiders could get Wilson the cheap as mentor, starter

Prior to his benching, which was due to an injury clause in his contract, Wilson was having a solid first season with Sean Payton as his head coach. His first year in Denver in 2022 was a disaster, but the same cannot be said about 2023, which makes him an interesting target for the Raiders if he becomes available this offseason.

Wilson is a proven winner at the NFL level, and if they can get him for cheap, he could not only start for the team in 2024, but also prove to be a mentor for O'Connell. There would be a fierce competition for the starting job between these two, and it would also allow the Raiders to draft a rookie quarterback and throw him in the mix as well.

While Wilson is 35-years old, there should be a lot of football left in him, and without an astronomical salary cap hit, I believe bringing him in would be a no-brainer for Tom Telesco and the new regime in place for the Raiders. Antonio Pierce wants to win now, and this is a guy who has won at the highest level, so they have to at least investigate this if he is released by Denver.