INDIANAPOLIS – The Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in bringing back one or both of Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, but that doesn’t mean they will have their pick of the litter without any competition. Fields is reportedly drawing interest from a number of teams, and Wilson could have some suitors, too.
One of the teams that could conceivably have interest in Wilson is the Las Vegas Raiders. Why? Because his head coach of 10 seasons that helped draft and develop him into a future Hall of Famer, Pete Carroll, is their new head coach.
Much like the Steelers, the Raiders are on the hunt for their long-term solution at quarterback. Wilson isn’t that at this point in his career, but the Raiders could use him in a similar manner as the Steelers — as a bridge to their future.
I asked Carroll today if he has kept up with Wilson since his departure from the Seahawks a few years ago, especially with Carroll having the year off to sit back and watch football as a passive observer.
“You might be surprised how much we all communicate — all the guys from back in the day,” Carroll told me during his press conference at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. “We still communicate and watch each other, and share stories and the whole thing. So it’s been really fun to watch the guys.”
This question came shortly after somebody else asked him about his former All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner. He went out of his way to remind everybody that Wagner is a free agent. He wasn’t nearly as direct about Wilson, but the fit might make some sense.
Towards the end of January when Carroll was hired, the Wilson-Raiders buzz was a big talking point in the national media. Even NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero called it a “real consideration.”
One of the talking points when this was in the news cycle last month was the perceived bad breakup between Wilson, Carroll, and the Seahawks. Based on Carroll’s words, and the recent words of Russell Wilson, this doesn’t appear to be an issue.
When asked about the possibility of pursuing Wilson last month, Carroll said it was too early to give an answer one way or the other. That answer will come in about two weeks when the legal tampering period opens on March 10th.
Wilson has said that the focus is on returning to the Steelers, but if the Steelers continue leaving the door open for Fields, Wilson will be forced to look at outside opportunities to keep his options alive. One of those options might be in Las Vegas with his former head coach.
