3 QBs not named Russell Wilson that Pete Carroll could recruit to Las Vegas

RAAAAIDERRRSSSSS. The Las Vegas Raiders are interesting, folks. With the hiring of Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll the Raiders now have a high floor going into 2025 with the potential for a strong foundation moving forward. But what will Carroll and part-owner Tom Brady do at quarterback?

The immediate dot connecting linked 2025 Pro Bowl Quarterback Russell Wilson to Vegas. Wilson went 6-5 as the Steelers' starter this year with over 2,400 yards, 16 TDs, and 5 interceptions. But Pittsburgh lost their final five games of the year including an early exit in the postseason.

But things rarely happen exactly how we'd expect. So, if it isn't Wilson donning the silver and black, who could Carroll bring in to quarterback this new era of Raider Football?

1. Geno Smith

The spiritual and literal successor to Wilson. Geno Smith served as Wilson's backup for two years before Wilson was traded to Denver. Pete Carroll loves Geno and gave him the job in Seattle right after trading Wilson away.

Seattle has not fully committed to Geno since Carroll's departure. They traded for Sam Howell last offseason with a non-zero amount of draft assets. They haven't extended Smith's contract or reworked it in any way that would indicate he's staying long-term. And when asked about Geno on a radio show at the end of the year Head Coach Mike Macdonald said this:

Now since then Macdonald has clarified he wants Geno back as his quarterback. But money talks.

Smith has a cap charge of $44.5 million next year. If Seattle were to cut or trade him before June 1 they would save $31 million of that. But if they extended him they could also lower it significantly.

It seems unlikely Seattle moves on from Smith considering they don't have a path to a quarterback nearly as good as he is this year. But if they were willing to talk, Carroll and the Raiders would certainly be on the other end of that phone.

2. Drew Lock

How many Pete Carrol backup QBs can we write about? What's Charlie Whitehurst up to? Drew Lock obviously never hit his potential from his prospect days in Denver. And he didn't really capitalize on a decent situation in New York (and by decent situation — I mean competing against Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito).

Lock has had a handful of impressive games in his NFL career. In two games in 2023 with Seattle (under Carroll) Lock threw for over 470 yards, three TDs, and two interceptions. He also had the masterful 17-23, 309 yards, four TDs game this year which sealed the New York Giants away from the first overall pick.

Lock might be another Gardner Minshew situation. But it's Carrol's Minshew. And the Raiders as a club would probably be smarter this time around about how much money to give to that level of quarterback. But a young-ish quarterback Carroll has worked with being available is interesting.

3. Justin Fields

The Raiders were interested in Justin Fields last offseason but signed Minshew before the Chicago Bears' asking price on Fields dropped. This would be their second chance to grab the once highly thought-of first-round pick.

Fields was solid in his six starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. He threw for 1,100 yards, five touchdowns, and one inception. He took a large number of sacks in that time (16) and lost three fumbles, but keeping the interceptions down was big for Fields and the Steelers.

Match that with what we all know is super-human athleticism and the Raiders could find themselves a bridge quarterback for a couple of seasons. PFF has a potential contract for Fields in that highly-paid backup territory of one year for approximately $11 million. That number could go up, however, if more teams think Fields could be their starter.