Pros and disadvantages of hiring Russell Wilson as the Raiders’ 2024 quarterback
Is Denver’s QB the solution Las Vegas needs?
The Raiders are naturally looking for a new quarterback, and they have some choices.
Russell Wilson, whom the Denver Broncos are about to release, is probably one of those options. Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of Wilson signing with the Raiders.
Given his debt to the Broncos, there has been conjecture that Wilson would agree to a one-year deal that would pay the veteran at least $1 million.
That would be really advantageous. Wilson is a starting-caliber player, regardless of your opinion of his play over the past few seasons. Covering a quarterback at such a low salary also gives the other players on the squad a lot of flexibility.
Wilson is no longer a great quarterback; he has regressed. He is still a competent NFL starting quarterback, and in 2023, he achieved some success.
He completed 66.4 percent of his passes in 2023, totaling 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He’s not being forced into a backup position that involves starting.
The Raiders may be a playoff team with Wilson at quarterback and plenty of salary-cap flexibility if they make wise selections in the draft and free agency and if the defense doesn’t have an unforeseen setback. Their roster predicament would be far worse than the Raiders’ after Wilson joined the team.
November will mark Wilson’s 36th birthday. This is his thirteenth NFL season. His professional life is about to end. Therefore, even if he plays well and the Raiders decide to bring him back in 2025, he would just be a band-aid solution in Las Vegas.
The Raiders coach, Antonio Pierce, declared last week that he would not consider appointing a temporary stand-in for the position.
If Wilson joins the Raiders, there’s always a chance they’ll use their first-round pick to draft a quarterback. Though most likely they wouldn’t.
Thus, the organization’s perpetual need for a quarterback would remain a problem. Wilson would depart from Las Vegas, forcing the team to reassemble at the most important position on the field.
Wilson is a quarterback who can still start games, but his current level of play is essentially poor. Is he really the answer for a team that has to win immediately? He hasn’t played for a postseason team since 2020.
Wilson and the Raiders wouldn’t make a good quarterback combo, so they shouldn’t select him first this offseason. Still, it may be one of the team’s easier—and less expensive, in terms of money and resources used—solutions
Therefore, it might also serve as a respectable temporary solution, even if it’s the best option, and there’s no need to celebrate.
