Considering how much turnover the Las Vegas Raiders have had with the coaching staff and front office in recent years, there’s not a ton of loyalty to players who aren’t new to the team. One player who has definitely been hurt by all the change is quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
He played decently as a rookie, but he hasn’t gotten much of a chance since. Now the Raiders have signed Kirk Cousins and drafted Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick. That doesn’t bode well for O’Connell’s chances of playing this season.
In fact, he could have a hard time hanging on to a roster spot. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton listed players who could get from each team, and he had O’Connell as the likely Raiders casualty.
“Rarely do you see a third-string quarterback as the best player who could lose his roster spot, but Aidan O’Connell is in a unique situation,” Moton wrote. “The Las Vegas Raiders signed Kirk Cousins and selected Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Cousins will likely start in regular-season games.
“O’Connell is clearly the odd man out at quarterback, but he may not have much trade value despite throwing for 3,922 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 21 games, which included 17 starts. O’Connell has athletic limitations at an evolving position and an expiring contract. Teams may wait for 2027 free agency rather than trade for him.”
Could O’Connell Get Traded?
It’s never bad to have multiple quarterbacks who can play. At best, O’Connell would be the No. 3 quarterback on the roster, but he’s got 17-career starts and has thrown 20 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.
The Raiders could do a lot worse at QB3. That said, O’Connell does carry a cap hit of $3.8 million this season, which is a bit high for a third-string quarterback.
The Raiders may rather use that money elsewhere and have an undrafted rookie handle the QB3 duties. They could also wait to see if a trade materializes. O’Connell isn’t going to be a hot name around the NFL, but he’s started a decent number of games and has played well enough. If there are injuries around the league, the Raiders could find a trade suitor.
Former Raider Thinks O’Connell Could Get Traded
O’Connell hasn’t ever gotten a great chance to prove what he can do. Any time he’s been able to start, it has been under less-than-ideal circumstances. It’s possible that he still has some potential.
Former Raiders offensive lineman is among the people who think that O’Connell is good enough to hold onto until he can get traded.
“And as far as a player … that I think has the utmost trade value. It’s got to be Aidan O’Connell,” Kennedy said on the “Locked on Raiders Squad Show” podcast.
“I think the writing is on the wall with what the Raiders did and … I believe Aidan O’Connell can play in the National Football League. He might be a backup forever, but we’ve seen how so many of these backups have gotten burned … but as far as trade value goes, if I’m trading a pick and a player, it’s going to be that one.”
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