Raiders should go all-in for Russell Wilson

As trade rumors ramp up around Russell Wilson again, the Las Vegas Raiders should be ready to go all-in.

During his appearance on The Dan Patrick Show a couple weeks ago, Russell Wilson aired some sources of discontent with the Seattle Seahawks in a way he never has. The team apparently wasn’t too thrilled with that, as expected. But from where are right now to a trade this offseason has a road block in the form of a $39 million dead money hit in the way.

But things took a turn on Thursday. In a lengthy piece that went into the deteriorating relationship between Wilson and the Seahawks, The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, Mike Sando and Jayson Jenks dropped a significant rumor bomb.

It’s one thing to name four possible trade suitors for Wilson, from a list that should include about 25 teams in some fashion. But the notion of a trade happening “in the near future” is fresh. An important caveat to the aforementioned huge cap hit for the Seahawks is if a trade were made official after June 1. Then that $39 million could be spread equally between 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The idea of the Seahawks not being willing to trade Wilson hasn’t stopped teams from calling. Earlier this week NFL Network’s Michael Silver reported teams think the starting point in a deal for him is three first-round picks.

The Raiders should go all-in for Russell Wilson

Among the four teams named by The Athletic is the Las Vegas Raiders. Jon Gruden came back as head coach to great fanfare, and the team has improved its win total in all three seasons under him. But a 19-29 record thus far is not what anyone necessarily envisioned, and there are already indications Gruden will try to find more scapegoats.

A reported 10-year contract gives Gruden some leeway, at least as long as owner Mark Davis is enamored with having him as the coach.

Derek Carr is probably a better quarterback than his critics (raising my hand) think he is. But Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock seem ready to replace when the time is right, even if the Colts were recently told Carr is not available.

But at the end of the day the Raiders’ ceiling is limited with Carr as the quarterback. The defense needs to be way better, certainly, but Carr won’t push the offense to an elite level either.

The way Gruden is wired, he definitely feels urgency to win. A 6-3 record last season faded to 8-8 with critical down-to-the-wire losses in Week 15 and 16, so the Raiders aren’t that far off from making the playoffs. Legitimately competing with the best teams in the AFC is a different conversation.

In any case, even with three first-round picks as a starting point, the Raiders should make an all-in offer for Wilson. This year’s first-rounder is No. 17 for them, and under an assumption of more wins with Wilson under center the subsequent picks would land in the 20’s. Ultimately, that’s a small price to pay for a top-tier quarterback.

Here’s how the Raiders can get a deal done for Russell Wilson.

Trading for Wilson automatically means trading Carr for the Raiders. That could be done in a deal to another team, but they get it done here instead. With three extra first-round picks (skipping 2023 as the Raiders keep that pick) and getting Carr, the Seahawks don’t come out looking that bad on a transactional level.

As for the idea of not intangibly (or tangibly, on the field) valuing your franchise quarterback as much as you should? That’s a different problem which goes at least one step above Wilson in Seattle, and it presents an opportunity for a team like the Raiders.