Russell Wilson rumors and Darrell Bevell interviews; is Pete Carroll trying to turn the Las Vegas Raiders into the Seattle Seahawks? That’s the question I asked last week. This week, Carroll made the answer clear: No.
Instead, Carroll is walking the Raiders down a brand new path. One that he himself hasn’t yet gone down, but hopes leads to similar results as those he’s gotten in the past.
One that gives Sin City wins while simultaneously setting a culture that sticks around for years to come.
Carroll had the opportunity to hire long-time associate Darrell Bevell as Las Vegas’ offensive coordinator, who served that same role with the Seattle Seahawks during their ‘Legion of Boom’ era. With Russell Wilson under center, Bevell helped lead Seattle to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
However, that’s not the road Sin City’s head coach Pete Carroll wanted to take a stroll down. Just as Carroll noted during his introductory press conference, “It’s all going to be unique, and they’re going to be surprised what comes.”
And Raiders acting-owner Mark Davis gave Carroll all the freedom and cash-flow needed to be as unique as he wanted. The entire ownership group did, in fact.
With that, Carroll went after and landed Chip Kelly; the now-former offensive coordinator of the National Championship winning Ohio State Buckeyes. Kelly agreed to a deal worth approximately $6 million per year to join the Raiders coaching ranks, effectively making him the highest-paid coordinator in the National Football League.
Despite the new route, Carroll’s vision remains the same: Win. Not tomorrow; today.
Pete Carroll is in win-now mode
Carroll has made it clear that he isn’t in Sin City simply to build a better roster for the next guy. He’s in win-now mode, looking to compete as soon as Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season rolls around.
The 73-year-old coach has no intentions of building from the ground up as he did with the Seattle Seahawks.
“You’re all wondering about timelines and all of that. It took us a few years to get to the very top of the last couple programs I was with. We’re starting right now; going for it immediately. We don’t have the time that we’ve got to make it five, six years down the road. That’s not what we’re thinking. We got to start right now; to go after it and build this team as quickly as we can,” Carroll said during his introductory press conference.
The hiring of a veteran play-caller who’s seen as an ‘offensive savant‘ by those he’s previously coached only helps back that vision Carroll laid out.
To that end, Raider Nation should expect a veteran signal caller to make their way to Sin City this offseason–although that doesn’t mean general manager John Spytek won’t also be looking to add a quarterback through the draft as well.
Getting the Las Vegas Raiders a veteran under center
While the talk is currently geared towards Russell Wilson, it doesn’t seem too likely. Wilson certainly isn’t against playing for the Raiders, but he wishes to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s where his full-focus is, as he explained at the Pro Bowl this past week.
Add in the fact that Carroll didn’t go the Bevell route, and it just doesn’t seem like the preferred option on either side. Anything can still happen, however, especially if the more-favorable situations don’t go as planned.
Given this, a quarterback such as Geno Smith or Sam Darnold feels much more realistic. Smith who’s, per Carroll, one of his “all-time favorite guys.”
“He’s taught me so much, and I admire him for the way he’s handled the competitive part of this thing,” Carroll said of Smith. “He’s taught us about belief in yourself and how powerful that is. As clear as an illusion of anybody that I can ever remember.”
And Smith shares that same admiration for Carroll, claiming the well-decorated coach is “one of the best motivators” he’s ever been around.
This is the pairing that makes too much sense to ignore. Still, there is one factor out of the control of both Carroll and Spytek: for the Raiders to acquire Geno Smith, it would mean the Seahawks would first have to agree to trade their starting quarterback. Is that something they’d be willing to do?
As for Sam Darnold..
It’s likely a sign-and-trade is in his future. Las Vegas may have to give up assets to acquire the 27-year-old, but that’s a small price to pay for a starting quarterback in the NFL.
Spytek noted he’d be willing to trade for a Baker Mayfield-type quarterback if they become available in the near future. At this moment in time, Darnold is the closest thing to that.
Alternatively, there will be no tag this summer, and Darnold will be able to sign wherever as a free agent. If this happens, the Raiders will have to fend off other teams to land the quarterback who went to school at the same place Pete Carroll left an unforgettable legacy at. That might serve as a big reason as to why Darnold may want to come to Las Vegas.
In any event, adding a veteran quarterback doesn’t mean Sin City won’t be drafting one as well. The Raiders are looking to win immediately, but they’re also looking to simultaneously build a core for years to come.
Adding a veteran does, however, give the team freedom. The hands of Spytek won’t be tied if no opportunity presents itself to select a quarterback in this upcoming draft, or if the staff doesn’t believe their future signal caller is in this group of quarterbacks. If the Las Vegas Raiders don’t get a young quarterback in April, that’s fine; there’s always next year.
In the meanwhile, the [presumed] added veteran quarterback will hold the keys regardless.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
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