“They’ve Mended Fences”: NFL Insider Stirs Up Chatter On Russell Wilson After the Raiders Hire Pete Carroll

The Las Vegas Raiders became the fifth team to fill their head coaching vacancy during this hiring cycle by agreeing to terms with Super Bowl and National Champion coach Pete Carroll. The USC and Seattle Seahawks legend has a lot of work to do. Carroll, new general manager John Spytek, and Vegas’ ownership group, including Tom Brady, will now shift focus to the quarterback search. One popular veteran option has already started popping up in rumors mere hours after the coaching announcement.

Carroll coached in the NFL in the 1990s, but he rose to fame as USC’s head coach from 2001-2009. He then spent 14 years at the helm of the Seahawks from 2010-2023. During that span, he drafted a little-known QB out of Wisconsin named Russell Wilson in the 3rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

The two went on to have a decade-plus of success together. Now, many including NFL insider Jeff Howe, believe they should reunite on the Vegas Strip.

“With Pete Carroll taking over the Raiders, one name I’ve heard to watch at QB: Russell Wilson. They’ve mended fences, per source, and Wilson could be a stopgap while the Raiders develop a long-term answer.”

From 2012 until 2021, the Seahawks were one of the most dominant teams in the NFL alongside Brady’s Patriots. During those 10 years, Wilson, Carroll, and the Seahawks were 2nd in wins (105), 2nd in playoff games (20), and 2nd in playoff wins (9). They also won Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013 and were one yard short of winning back-to-back Lombardis.

However, that early success was built on a combination of defense, hard-nosed running, and Wilson’s dual-threat ability. Tensions began to rise between Wilson and the defense in the ensuing years, especially after the interception that cost them Super Bowl XLIX. Carroll sided with Wilson in the end, which led to an exodus of the Legion of Boom defense that made them so dominant.

In the late 2010s, Wilson himself became disgruntled with the organization as a whole, which he believed was holding him back. During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show following Super Bowl LV, Wilson complained about a lack of say in personnel decisions, as well as the dismal protection he’d received from his offensive line in nine years there.

He believed his abilities weren’t being maximized by Carroll and company. For their part, the organization was dubious about the QB after witnessing a drop in form from the 32-year-old over the previous season or so.

The news of a potential reunion has attracted mixed reactions from the Steelers and Raiders fans.

Despite the seeming tension between Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson back in 2020, the QB made a very well-received surprise appearance at Carroll’s farewell party last year after the coach stepped down as Seahawks head coach following his 2023 campaign.

It seems relations between the two have warmed considerably, which would make a reunion in Vegas much more possible—or even likely.