Raiders TE Brock Bowers now knows what to expect from Pete Carroll, thanks to Russell Wilson.
The Las Vegas Raiders already have one Seattle Seahawks legend on board in Pete Carroll. But will the only head coach to lead the ‘Hawks to a Super Bowl win add his former quarterback Russell Wilson? Even Raiders star Brock Bowers dropped insight there.
Bowers was all smiles at the thought of Wilson possibly joining the Silver and Black, which he shared via ESPN during the Pro Bowl. Bowers revealed he spoke to Wilson about what to expect from Carroll.
“He said he's great, he's awesome and he brings a lot of energy to practices,” Bowers said. “Coach Carroll has won a lot and has a lot of football knowledge, so I'm excited to see what happens.”
Wilson sidestepped questions about possibly reuniting with Carroll. The Super Bowl 48 winner with Carroll is a free agent this spring. But the veteran QB says he loves Pittsburgh and hopes to stay.
Pete Carroll gets Pro Bowl TE to build around with Brock Bowers
Carroll knows something about working with high-profile tight ends. He once traded for perennial Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham and coached him for three seasons. Graham played in his final two Pro Bowls with Carroll as his head coach in 2016 and 2017.
The 73-year-old head coach now gets Bowers to work with, plus build around. The talented 2024 rookie becomes the lone offensive Pro Bowler Carroll gets to work with at his newest NFL stop.
Carroll, however, must settle on who his QB will be in Sin City. Bowers delivered stellar production despite playing with a struggling QB room. Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O'Connell, then Desmond Ridder all took snaps behind center for the Raiders due to constant injuries.
The new Raiders head coach may need to dive into the 2025 NFL Draft to find his next QB. Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are two incoming rookie QBs linked as Raiders possibilities.
Carroll, though, can work his past USC connections to go after Sam Darnold. The two-time national champion head coach never got the chance to coach the Trojans legend, as Carroll was already established as the Seahawks head coach during Darnold's college career. Darnold played for ex-USC head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Darnold is still a free agent for the spring. The 2018 first rounder raised his value and profile after producing his first Pro Bowl season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024. The Raiders are considered a potential destination for Darnold by many fans.
Or, Carroll can lure in a familiar face in Wilson. Even though Wilson didn't want to talk about possibly joining the Raiders.
