Russell Wilson does Raiders a huge favor by sidestepping Pete Carroll reunion

The Las Vegas Raiders filled one of their several offseason vacancies by hiring Pete Carroll to be the franchise's head coach. It was a bit surprising to see a Raiders team that should be rebuilding bring in a man who will soon be the oldest head coach in NFL history, but Carroll can undoubtedly change the culture in Las Vegas.

With the head coaching role set for at least the next three years, attention will soon turn to what the Raiders will do at the quarterback position. Both Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell are under contract for Las Vegas, but let's be real - neither of these players should be considered a long-term starter. Both have been given chances in the last couple of years and both have proven to not be up for that task.

Given their lack of clarity at the most important position in sports, adding a quarterback to the mix is something Tom Brady and Co. must do this offseason, but that, of course, is easier said than done. The Raiders are slated to pick sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, making it tough for them to land one of the class's two elite quarterbacks without mortgaging their future.

If the Raiders can't draft a quarterback in the first round, there's a good chance they'll look to address the position by bringing in a more established veteran. Once Carroll was hired, an immediate connection with Russell Wilson was made, and it isn't hard to see why. Carroll and Wilson had tons of success as a duo with the Seattle Seahawks, even winning a Super Bowl together.

Rather than lean into those rumors, though, Wilson wound up sidestepping several Carroll-related questions sent in his direction during his media availability at the Pro Bowl.

“Pete’s going to be a great coach, obviously,” Wilson said. “He’s great at what he does. But I’m focused on the Steelers."

Russell Wilson makes it clear he wants to return to Pittsburgh, which is blessing in disguise for the Raiders

Reuniting Wilson and Carroll, considering their success in Seattle made at least some sense for a Raiders team that needs a quarterback. While Wilson would be an upgrade over what they've got, he still doesn't make much sense for the Raiders.

First and foremost, Wilson is 36 years old, and will probably be looking for a multi-year deal in free agency. If Wilson was close to the star he once was, that'd be great, but that isn't the case. He wasn't terrible for the Steelers, but he also very clearly wasn't good enough to make them legitimate threats to come close to winning the Super Bowl.

Wilson particularly struggled to round out the year when competition got tougher, as the Steelers failed to reach 20 points in any of their final five games (all losses) and Wilson failed to throw for over 220 yards in four of those five contests. Do the Raiders really want an older quarterback who looked overmatched when the competition was tougher to come to perhaps the most competitive division in the NFL and play with a supporting cast nowhere near as good as Pittsburgh's?

I get the Carroll connection and that he's a big name, but there's really no other reason for the Raiders to seriously consider this. Wilson is well past his prime, is 36 years old, and struggled mightily when facing any sort of challenge down the stretch. The Raiders should look in several other directions both in the draft and in free agency before pivoting to Wilson, so Wilson focusing on the Steelers is for the best from a Las Vegas perspective.