It’s been quite the rollercoaster for Russell Wilson since his trade from the Seattle Seahawks. After a less than stellar tenure with the Denver Broncos, one NFL executive predicted him to end up with the Las Vegas Raiders this fall.
Following Wilson’s benching by head coach Sean Payton, the former Super Bowl champion appears to be expendable. But, he might not go far should Denver trade Wilson.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there are multiple teams in play but one could swoop in out of nowhere.
“As we outlined previously, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and Minnesota are among teams on the radar,” Fowler wrote for ESPN. “But one NFC executive sees another outlet.”
One of the original teams on Wilson’s wish list from a couple of years ago is going to make the move: the Raiders. Of course, this is just a prediction from an anonymous NFL executive.
“[The Raiders] need a vet, and they are one of Wilson’s original teams he wanted to go to,” said the exec, referring to Wilson’s wish list in 2021, via ESPN. “He’d stay in the [AFC West], West Coast, and [Wilson’s wife] Ciara can do a [Las Vegas] residency [as a live performer].”
The Raiders hired Antonio Pierce as the permanent head coach after his interim tenure. He went 5-4 after Josh McDaniels was fired and nearly willed the Raiders to the p;lauoffs.
Currently, the Raiders have Aidan O’Connell, who saw the bulk of the action down the stretch as a rookie out of Purdue.
Could the Raiders have a need for a veteran like Wilson? That seems to be the prediction.
Despite going 7-8 as a starter this year, Wilson actually improved from the 2022 season. He finished with 3.070 yards, 26 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 66.4% completion percentage.
Overall, Wilson has 43,653 yards, 334 touchdowns, 106 interruptions, a 64.7% completion percentage, 5,307 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns.
Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks and came up short in Super Bowl XLIX the next year. While he could have Hall of Fame credentials one day, the last two seasons in Denver haven’t been up for snuff.
Perhaps the raiders are the true fresh start he needs if he wants to play at a high level for a little while longer. For now, he’s still a Bronco with a massive contract and Denver still has to pull off a trade.
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