The Las Vegas Raiders’ hiring of 73-year-old Pete Carroll was one of the more surprising moves of the offseason NFL coaching carousel so far.
Carroll sat out the 2024 season after his 14-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks which saw him win the team’s first and only Super Bowl in 2014, came to an end last year.
His time with the Seahawks saw him draft and develop Russell Wilson into his franchise quarterback and with the passer set to become a free agent following a one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, it didn’t take long for speculation linking Wilson with a move to the Raiders to emerge.
Carroll has been quick to address these rumours, telling the ‘What the Football’ podcast that it was too early for a decision like that to be made.
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"It's so early, and we're just in the midst of trying to find the puzzle pieces,” he said.
“We're not even putting them together yet, so I can't even say. Free agency hasn't come yet. That's the first competitive opportunity that will occur.
“Then, the draft is coming. We'll have that opportunity. I can't tell you right now. I could guess, but it would just be a guess."
The Raiders are likely to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, following an underwhelming season for Garnder Minshew and Aidan O’Connell as the Raiders went 4-13 last year, which means Vegas will have the number six overall selection in April’s draft.
Wilson played under Carroll in Seattle for 10 years, posting a 104-53-1 record as a starter and reaching the playoffs eight times.
Vegas will be the fourth stop on Carroll’s coaching career, with the former New York Jets and New England Patriots boss set to become the oldest head coach in NFL history when the Raiders play their first game under his stewardship in December.
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