He is fourth-string on the depth chart right now, but it wouldn't be shocking if, come mid-September, Marc Wilson is the number one quarterback for the New England Patriots.
Ridiculous, you think? Well, perhaps you should think again.Although Wilson was out of a job a year ago, it is not inconceivable that the former Raiders' QB could wind up with the Pats' starting job.
Signed last month as insurance in case veteran Steve Grogan is unable to return after offseason neck surgery, Wilson could turn out to be much more than simply a backup quarterback for the Patriots.
"He's number two right now," one of the club's front-office men said last week while watching Wilson throw passes in mini-camp at Sullivan Stadium.
There are doubts within the organization whether Grogan will be able to return.
He'll be 35 in July and, after having had numerous knee problems, he's coming off surgery in which a herniated disk was removed from his neck and fusion was performed on his spinal cord.
Doug Flutie may be the darling of the fans, but the coaching staff isn't exactly enamored of the former Heisman Trophy winner from Boston College.
If Wilson shows that he still can throw the ball as well as he did before his layoff last year, he could beat out Flutie for the back-up job.
And, while Tony Eason unquestionably is the Patriots' No. 1 quarterback, he has played only five games the last two seasons because of injuries.
If Eason goes down again this year, Wilson could well wind up going in.
"That's why we got him," coach Raymond Berry said. "We needed depth at quarterback and it was fortunate for us that he was available. I know I relaxed as soon as we were able to get him. He covers all our bases."
As delighted as Berry is to have him, Wilson is even happier to be in New England.
"I'm excited about being here," said Wilson, who spent eight years with the Raiders after they selected him as a first-round draft choice out of Brigham Young in 1980.
Wilson never became a favorite in either Oakland or L.A. with Raiders fans, who compared him unfavorably with Jim Plunkett and his predecessor, Ken Stabler.
"I needed to move away," Wilson said. "I needed a change of scenery."
Unable to agree on terms of a new contract with the Raiders prior to last season, Wilson was placed on procedural waivers. He then proceeded to sign with Green Bay.
But the Packers, under new coach Lindy Infante, decided Wilson wasn't the key to their future. They waived him at the end of training camp, keeping Don Majkowski and Randy Wright instead.
So Wilson, at the age of 31, found himself out of football.
"In a lot of respects," he said, "it was good for me not to play. It helped me put things in perspective and answered a lot of questions for me."
While sitting out last season, Wilson became convinced that he wasn't yet ready to give up the game.
"At first," he said, "I thought my career was over. At first, I thought I wanted it to be over.
"But as the season wore on, and the playoffs began, I knew I wanted to play again. I was itching to get back into football."