Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
The Las Vegas Raiders officially have their general manager with the hiring of Tom Telesco and his most important job is finding a solution at quarterback this offseason. The team holds the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which makes drafting one of the top prospects difficult.
If the Raiders don’t have an avenue to trade up in the draft, they could look to free agency. The Denver Broncos are expected to release quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason despite his five-year, $242 million contract. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler surveyed the NFL to see who is the best fit for Wilson and one executive is predicting the nine-time Pro Bowler to end up in Las Vegas.
“[The Raiders] need a vet, and they are one of Wilson’s original teams he wanted to go to,” an NFC executive told Fowler in a January 24 column. “He’d stay in the [AFC West], West Coast, and [Wilson’s wife] Ciara can do a [Las Vegas] residency [as a live performer].”
The executive is referring to a wish list of teams that Wilson was willing to get traded when he was still with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021, which included the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Raiders and Chicago Bears, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He ended up in Denver but the interest in Las Vegas could still be there.
Would Las Vegas Raiders Want Russell Wilson?
Head coach Antonio Pierce has coached against Russell Wilson for the last two seasons and Tom Telesco has watched the quarterback closely while he was with the Chargers. Those two will have a good idea of whether or not they think Wilson is the right fit in Las Vegas.
The quarterback was 0-3 as the starting quarterback against the Raiders since joining the Broncos so it’s unlikely Pierce has been overly impressed with him. Wilson to the Raiders doesn’t make much sense. They already have an aging veteran on the roster in Jimmy Garoppolo. If the team wants to try out a veteran quarterback again, they may as well stick with the one already on the roster.
However, it seems more likely that Aidan O’Connell would be the starter next season. He played well to end the season and while he doesn’t have much upside, he has more than Wilson and Garoppolo at this point int their careers.
Russell Wilson 🚀 Marvin Mims
Tom Telesco Had Success With Homegrown QBs
Whether or not there was a certain amount of luck involved, Tom Telesco’s best move as general manager of the Chargers was drafting quarterback Justin Herbert in 2020. He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and a Pro Bowler in 2021. He’s emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
When Telesco first took over the Chargers in 2013, the team already had Philip Rivers at quarterback, who was also homegrown. Telesco has seen first-hand how important it is to draft a quarterback and develop him for long-term success. The general manager doesn’t have a history of making big draft trades but this could be the year to change that.
There are some really good quarterbacks in this year’s draft class and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels has already been linked to the team due to his ties to Antonio Pierce. Trading up and landing the Heisman Trophy winner would certainly be a big statement by Telesco.
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