Raiders HC Pete Carroll makes feelings clear about Russell Wilson joining Vegas

Since Pete Carroll was named head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month, there’s been widespread speculation that he’d be bringing back his former quarterback from his days as the Seattle Seahawks head coach.

It will take some time before a potential Pete Carroll/Russell Wilson reunion occurs.

“It’s so early, and we’re just in the midst of trying to find the puzzle pieces,” says Carroll.

Free agency hasn’t come yet. That’s the first competitive opportunity that will occur,” adds the former Super Bowl-winning head coach.

Wilson, who guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to a playoff appearance this season, is due to become a free agent in March.

There’s also the NFL Draft, which takes place in April, with the Raiders currently holding the #6 selection, which they may use to choose a quarterback.

The draft is coming. We’ll have that opportunity. I can’t tell you right now. I could guess, but it would just be a guess,” according to Carroll.

Last season, the Raiders finished with a 4-13 record, winding up dead last in the AFC West. The quarterbacking duties were split between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew, who started seven and nine games under center, respectively, in 2024.

Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson’s glory days in Seattle

It’s no secret that Russell Wilson’s best days as an NFL quarterback came under the tutelage of Pete Carroll in Seattle.

The Seahawks selected him in the third round of the 2012 draft, and the former North Carolina State and Wisconsin product quickly became the cornerstone of the franchise.

After guiding them to an 11-5 record in his first season as a starter (2012), Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll helped Seattle claim their first and only Super Bowl to date in the 2013 campaign.

Together, they won five NFC West titles in the Pacific Northwest and were a few yards away from capturing back-to-back Super Bowl crowns. A Malcolm Butler interception in the dying stages of Super Bowl XLIX denied them a second successive world championship.

Wilson earned nine Pro Bowl selections during his days with Carroll in Seattle while being the league’s passer rating leader in 2015 and the leader for touchdown passes two seasons later (34).

They parted ways in March 2022 when Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos, while Carroll spent two more seasons as the Seahawks head coach.

After two seasons in the Mile High City, Wilson had a lovely bounce-back season for the Steelers in 2024, tossing just five interceptions, the joint-fewest of his NFL career (2019), while being selected to another Pro Bowl.

Wilson owns numerous Seahawk records, including the most career passing yards in franchise history (37,059).