Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
The Las Vegas Raiders found a potential stopgap starting quarterback option by signing Gardner Minshew this offseason to a $25 million contract. While Minshew is a capable quarterback, the team could’ve considered a much cheaper option.
The Denver Broncos released Russell Wilson this offseason and he decided to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a $1.2 million league minimum contract. The Raiders were one of the team linked to Wilson but it doesn’t appear he ever met in Las Vegas. According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Wilson has a serious interest in signing with the Raiders but the feeling wasn’t mutual.
“They liked Minshew more than Russell Wilson — 12 times more, it turns out when you factor in that Wilson got $1.2 million from the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Tafur wrote in a March 11 column. “Wilson wanted to come to the Raiders back in the Jon Gruden days and he still did now, according to team and league sources, but the Raiders didn’t see him as a fit.”
It’s been quite the fall from grace for the nine-time Pro Bowler. A team in quarterback limbo wasn’t even willing to consider signing him to a minimum contract. Regardless, the Raiders got the quarterback they wanted and still have the flexibility to add another one in the draft.
Why Didn’t Las Vegas Raiders Want Russell Wilson?
On the surface, Russell Wilson had a good 2023 season. He threw 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Raiders played Wilson three times over the past two seasons while he was with the Broncos.
Las Vegas went 3-0 in those games. In two seasons in Denver, Wilson went 11-19 as a starter. The Raiders got to see the quarterback up close and they didn’t like what they saw. There would’ve been little risk in giving him a minimum contract but for whatever reason, they may have thought adding him would’ve been a negative.
The Steelers are likely a better fit for Wilson. He won’t have the pressure of facing his own two twice a year and head coach Mike Tomlin is known to work well with players with difficult personalities.
Las Vegas Raiders Considered Justin Fields
Russell Wilson wasn’t the only quarterback linked to the Raiders prior to the Gardner Minshew signing. According to Vic Tafur, the team did consider trading for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
“The Raiders also kicked around the idea of trading for Fields, according to league sources, as his price goes down daily,” Tafur wrote. “But they already hired deposed Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, and reuniting the 2023 Chicago offense would have been a tough sell. When you hire Getsy, you are saying Fields was the problem with the Bears. If you bring in both … what, it was the offensive line’s, running backs’ and receivers’ fault?”
Fields’ market was much cooler than expected so the Raiders may have been able to get him for a cheap price. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy knows Fields well after coaching him for the last two seasons so he would know if the quarterback was worth a trade. He must not believe it or the Raiders likely would’ve swooped in and grabbed him at a cheap price.