After a few years of being a mess at quarterback, the Las Vegas Raiders have seemed to figure things out. The team signed veteran Kirk Cousins in free agency and used the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Fernando Mendoza.
They also signed undrafted free agent quarterback Jacob Clark. It’s all very exciting for the Raiders, but one player on the roster probably isn’t too thrilled with all the quarterback moves.
Aidan O’Connell likely should’ve started over Gardner Minshew in 2024 and should’ve taken over for Geno Smith last season. However, he hasn’t gotten many chances since a solid rookie season. With so many new quarterbacks coming in, his days might be numbered.
The Athletic’s Sam Warren labeled O’Connell as one of the Raiders’ biggest “losers” from the offseason.
“O’Connell’s future in Las Vegas wasn’t bright when the Raiders earned the top pick and the chance to take Mendoza,” Warren wrote. “It dimmed further when Kirk Cousins signed a week before the draft.
“Both Spytek and Kubiak expressed their desire to have a veteran quarterback begin this season as the starter and allow Mendoza to learn from the sidelines. O’Connell, who has started 17 games for the Raiders, had his chances to become that bridge QB dashed when Cousins got $20 million guaranteed. The fourth-year signal caller could be kept around in case of injury, but Las Vegas could also trade him to a team with a cloudier depth chart at quarterback.”
Could Raiders Find Trade Partner for O’Connell?
O’Connell is an interesting player. He was considered a solid prospect coming out of Purdue, but his lack of strong athletic traits led to him not getting much pre-draft hype.
The Raiders never planned to start him as a rookie, but Jimmy Garoppolo played so poorly that they had to shake things up. Despite going 5-5 as a starter during his rookie year and throwing 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions, the Raiders didn’t give him a chance to be the Week 1 starter.
He clearly doesn’t have a long-term future in Las Vegas, but is there a team out there that would trade for him? The one team that makes some sense is the New England Patriots. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the head coach when the Raiders drafted him, so there’s familiarity there.
The Tennessee Titans also make sense, as former Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler works in their front office. At the same time, there’s a good chance O’Connell gets cut eventually, so teams might not want to give up an asset for him. At best, the Raiders likely aren’t going to do better than a Day 3 draft pick.
Any Chance O’Connell Sticks Around?
The best O’Connell can do with the Raiders this season is be QB3 on the depth chart. That shouldn’t be hard for him to accomplish. His competition is Clark, who played college football at Missouri State.
The Raiders could certainly do worse at QB3 than somebody who has started in 17 games. He’s also still on a tiny contract. If Clark just doesn’t look like an NFL player this offseason, Las Vegas may choose to stick with O’Connell.
Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell Hit With Dreaded Label