A new mentality has taken hold in the Las Vegas Raiders organization, aiming to transform the team into a true competitor in the AFC West – a division currently dominated by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, along with a Denver Broncos team that proved last season they’re ready to contend.
Brady’s aim and form rival Curry
The franchise’s first major move was to fire Antonio Pierce after a forgettable campaign and appoint Pete Carroll as the new head coach. Carroll arrives with the experience of having won a Super Bowl in 2014, following a brilliant run with the Seattle Seahawks.
Among his first key decisions, Carroll chose to bring in Geno Smith – a quarterback he fully trusts after several years working together in Seattle, where Smith shined in 2022 and 2023. However, it later came to light that Carroll had also considered reuniting with Russell Wilson, with whom he won a Super Bowl during that historic 2014 season.
Russell Wilson was close to joining the Las Vegas Raiders
Before the Raiders signed Geno Smith, many quarterback options were discussed – one of the most talked about being Sam Darnold, who ultimately signed with the Seahawks. There were also strong rumors that the team would select Shedeur Sanders in the first round of the draft.
However, the Raiders ended up being one of the teams that shut the door on Shedeur Sanders and instead selected running back Ashton Jeanty in the first round. In the end, the job went to Geno Smith, who joins the team after three successful seasons with the Seahawks. Still, Head Coach Pete Carroll revealed that there was real interest in bringing in Russell Wilson.
“Really, there was a chance with Russ coming up in free agency, we needed a quarterback… so there was conversation in that short amount of time before we got Geno,” Carroll said.
It’s worth remembering that Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll spent 10 seasons together with the Seahawks, including their 2014 Super Bowl victory over Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos. Now, Carroll is with the Raiders, and Wilson has signed with the New York Giants.
