The Las Vegas Raiders are about to go through a major transition after the firing of general manager Mike Mayock. While interim head coach Rich Bisaccia still has a chance to earn the full-time job, it’s a lot less likely now that Mayock is gone. If the Raiders undergo a major coaching and front office overhaul, that will make quarterback Derek Carr’s future quite murky.
A lot still needs to happen but there could be some top quarterbacks available on the trade market. It appears possible that Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks could be headed for a divorce. Wilson was open to the idea of moving to the Raiders last offseason, per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. Much of that had to do with him being a fan of Jon Gruden. The coach is gone now but the Raiders landing a big name like Jim Harbaugh, Doug Pederson or Sean Payton would likely lead to Wilson being interested again.
Carr has been a good quarterback for the Raiders but owner Mark Davis may want to take a big swing. According to NFL insider Mike Silver, Davis was very interested in trading for Wilson previously.
“My instincts tell me Mark Davis wants rockstar stuff in that stadium,” Silver said on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast.” “Mark Davis has a kind of Russell Wilson, not fixation, but he was kind of into that concept from what I was hearing. Mark Davis, I think, has felt ‘we can do better than Derek Carr.'”
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Wilson Wants to ‘Explore His Options’
Wilson always says the right things in the media but behind the scenes, it appears that he’s still unhappy. The Seahawks had a rough season and finished 7-10 – the first losing season of his career. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Wilson is still very much looking into trade options:
Just like last year, the Seahawks’ season crashed to a disappointing halt. Just like last year, the questions surrounding their star quarterback overshadow everything this offseason.
And just like last year, sources say Russell Wilson wants to explore his options to see what else might be out there for him.
The situation in Seattle appears to have grown stale. Perhaps making a move at head coach would fix things but Pete Carroll is still in place and the Seahawks will quickly miss out on the best coaching candidates if they don’t make a move soon. Keeping the status quo may
not be enough to keep Wilson around.
What Would It Take for Raiders to Get Wilson?
The Seahawks aren’t going to simply give away Wilson. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and might be the biggest reason the team is usually winning. If the Raiders want to trade for him, it would certainly help if Carr and Seattle had mutual interest. He’s a good quarterback who could certainly do whatever Carroll would want him to do in a run-heavy offense.
Carr and two first-round picks for Wilson could be a fair trade. If Carr isn’t willing to go to Seattle or they don’t want him, that makes things more difficult. Perhaps three first-round picks and a couple of thirds do the job. The Raiders are in a better spot than other teams that could be in on Wilson as Carr is a good quarterback that can win some games.
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Mark Davis ‘Into the Concept’ of Trading for 8-Time Pro Bowl QB: Insider