Tom Telesco has been hired as the Las Vegas Raiders’ general manager, and his most crucial duty this summer will be to find a quarterback solution. The franchise has the 13th choice in the 2024 NFL Draft, making selecting one of the top prospects tough.
If the Raiders do not have the opportunity to move up in the draft, they may resort to free agency. The Denver Broncos are likely to cut quarterback Russell Wilson this summer, despite his five-year, $242 million deal. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled the NFL to see who is the greatest match for Wilson, and one executive believes the nine-time Pro Bowler will wind up in Las Vegas.
“[The Raiders] need a vet, and they are one of Wilson’s original teams he wanted to go to,” an NFC executive told Fowler in a January 24 post. “He’d stay in the [AFC West], West Coast, and [Wilson’s wife] Ciara can do a [Las Vegas] residency [as a live performer].”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the executive is alluding to a wish list of clubs to which Wilson was willing to be dealt in 2021 while still with the Seattle Seahawks, which included the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Raiders, and Chicago Bears. He eventually settled in Denver, although his desire to visit Las Vegas may still exist.
Would the Las Vegas Raiders want Russell Wilson?
Head coach Antonio Pierce has coached against Russell Wilson for the past two seasons, and Tom Telesco extensively monitored the quarterback during his time with the Chargers. Those two will be able to determine whether Wilson is a good match in Las Vegas.
Since joining the Broncos, the quarterback has gone 0-3 as the starter against the Raiders, so Pierce is unlikely to be impressed with him. Wilson joining the Raiders does not make much sense. They already have an older veteran on the roster, Jimmy Garoppolo. If the organization wants to test out a veteran quarterback again, they may as well remain with the one they have on the roster.
However, it is more likely that Aidan O’Connell will be the starter next season. He played well at the conclusion of the season, and while he doesn’t have much potential, he has more than Wilson and Garoppolo at this stage in their careers.
Tom Telesco has success with homegrown quarterbacks.
Whether or whether there was some serendipity involved, Tom Telesco’s finest decision as Chargers general manager was to choose quarterback Justin Herbert in 2020. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and a Pro Bowler in 2021. He has emerged as one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks.
When Telesco came over the Chargers in 2013, they already had Philip Rivers, a homegrown quarterback. Telesco has witnessed firsthand the importance of drafting and developing a quarterback for long-term success. The general manager does not have a track record of making major draft moves, but this might be the year to alter that.
There are several pretty excellent quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels has already been connected to the team owing to his relationship with Antonio Pierce. Trading up and acquiring the Heisman Trophy winner would undoubtedly be a bold statement by Telesco.
