Getty
Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll won a Super Bowl together in Seattle, but Seahawks fans could be watching a different kind of moment Sunday: the Giants’ trip to face Carroll’s Raiders in Week 17 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
And here’s the hook that will hit Seattle the hardest: this game could be the last time Wilson and Carroll share the same field on an NFL Sunday, even if Wilson never takes a snap.
Why Raiders-Giants suddenly feels like a Seahawks reunion
For Seahawks fans, it’s not just “two familiar faces.” In Seattle, Wilson and Carroll went 104-53-1 in the regular season (a 66.1% winning rate) and reached two Super Bowls, including the franchise’s first title when the Seahawks blew out the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Carroll is back on an NFL sideline as the Raiders’ head coach after his long run leading the Seahawks. Wilson, meanwhile, is now in New York, and his presence alone turns a “Tank Bowl” into a Seahawks memory lane game for a big chunk of the fanbase.
The stakes of the actual matchup are ugly-but-real: the Giants and Raiders entered Sunday tied at 2-13, and the result can swing the inside track for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Russell Wilson might not start, but he’s still part of the story
This isn’t 2014 Russell Wilson vs. the world. Late in the year, Wilson has been serving as the Giants’ emergency third quarterback by coach’s decision, behind rookie Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston.
So yes, it’s possible the “reunion” is more pregame or postgame than primetime: a handshake, a quick exchange, cameras catching a moment that Seahawks fans instantly clip and share.
But even if he’s not active as the No. 2, Wilson’s name still matters in this spot because he’s there, and because his immediate future feels uncertain the same way Carroll’s does.
One more wrinkle: Wilson is on a one-year deal with New York, and his 2025 contract/cap numbers underscore how quickly this chapter can end if the Giants keep moving toward the Dart era.
Why this could be the last time they share the field
The “last time” angle isn’t about nostalgia; it’s about pressure.
Carroll’s first season in Las Vegas has been rough enough that local Raiders coverage is already floating the idea that the organization could make a quick coaching change after the year. If that happens, Sunday’s game becomes a weird, unexpected “final” for the Carroll/Wilson on-field overlap.
On the Wilson side, he’s no longer the weekly face of a franchise. If he’s finishing 2025 as an emergency option behind a rookie, his next NFL stop (or whether there is one) gets murkier fast. Wilson has been endorsed as having a future in broadcasting just earlier this season.
Key details
Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS from Allegiant Stadium.
Draft stakes: ESPN analytics shared by Giants coverage had New York at 37.6% for the No. 1 pick entering the game (73% with a loss, 6% with a win), with Vegas at 36.2% (69% with a loss, <1% with a win).
Raiders context: Las Vegas placed Maxx Crosby on season-ending injured reserve late in the week.
Erik Anderson is an award-winning sports journalist covering the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Anderson is also the host of The Rip City Pod on The I-5 Corridor, where he dives into the stories and personalities shaping the Portland Trail Blazers. His work has appeared in nationally-recognized outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press , USA Today, and ESPN. More about Erik Anderson
More Heavy on Seahawks
Loading more stories