There’s a lot of buzz right now concerning the Pittsburgh Steelers and their interest in veteran QB Russell Wilson, and it will be exciting to see if that leads to him signing with them soon. In the meantime, Pittsburgh isn’t the only place that Wilson would likely fit this offseason. In fact, the Las Vegas Raiders could be a similarly attractive, if not better, landing spot for Russell Wilson.
Adam Schefter of ESPN noted Friday morning that the Raiders could be another team interested in signing Wilson, who has still not officially been released by the Denver Broncos.
Since Schefter dropped his Las Vegas speculation, the Raiders have reportedly released veteran QB Brian Hoyer. That move now leaves Las Vegas with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and two very inexperienced quarterbacks under contract in Aidan O’Connell and Anthony Brown Jr. Garoppolo, however, is expected to be released by the Raiders right after the start of the new league year next week. He’s as good as gone.
While O’Connell did play decently as a rookie in 2023, the jury is still definitely out on him being a franchise quarterback. After all, he’s only played in 11 total games on his way to completing 213 of his 343 total pass attempts for 2,218 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was also sacked 24 times as a rookie. His ANY/A stat last season was under six at 5.57.
The Raiders could ultimately decide to draft a quarterback this year, and they do select 13th overall as we sit here today. In short, they might need to trade up if they want to select one of the top three quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. O’Connell, by the way, was selected in the fourth round last year out of Purdue.
If you think about it, the Raiders are in a somewhat comparable situation as the Steelers this offseason at the quarterback position. Because of that, they are highly likely to add a veteran free agent to that position group prior to the draft. That’s why Wilson could be a legitimate option for them, especially if he’s willing to sign for near or right at the NFL league minimum.
Signing with the Raiders on the cheap would also allow Wilson to not only remain out West, but it would also allow him to play his former team, the Broncos, twice as a member of the same AFC division. One would have to think that Wilson wouldn’t mind doing that.
On top of everything else, the Raiders have a talented wide receiver group that includes Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. They also have an exciting young tight end in Michael Mayer.
While the Raiders should have some turnover on their offensive line this offseason, the fact that team has over $40 million in salary cap space right now should allow it to address that position group in free agency quite well in the coming weeks.
After Wilson visits with the Steelers on Friday, it will be interesting to see if any legitimate news comes out of his trip to Pittsburgh. He can’t officially sign just yet, so odds are we won’t know his new landing spot for several more days. Might he go visit the Raiders next? I think such a trip is plausible.
Wilson will likely have his choice of landing spots once his release from the Broncos becomes official. While the Steelers could indeed be the team Wilson ultimately signs with, nobody should probably be surprised if he winds up inking with the Raiders just the same. It’s just as an enticing landing spot for him, in my honest opinion.
