The Las Vegas Raiders have gotten off to a strong start to the season. Prior to the year, they were looked at as a team that might be sellers at the trade deadline, but now they could be buyers.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some players they could send away. Kirk Cousins is playing at a high level, so he’s not at risk of losing his starting job right now. If he struggles, rookie No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza will be the starter.
Aidan O’Connell is still on the roster, but a lot needs to go wrong for him to actually play. There have already been several high-profile quarterback injuries this season, so O’Connell could be a valuable trade piece.
In fact, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that O’Connell is the Raiders’ most valuable trade chip.
“There’s a chance that Mendoza doesn’t see the field at all as a rookie, though he’s certainly the Raiders’ future at quarterback. Third-string quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who will be a free agent in 2027, may not be part of Las Vegas’ future,” Knox wrote. “The 2023 fourth-round pick out of Purdue has gotten opportunities to play with the Raiders over the years. He’s gone 7-10 as the starter with a career 84.1 QB rating. O’Connell is better than a lot of other backups out there, and with quarterback injuries already mounting, he might be better than a couple of starters.
“We’ve already seen Jaxson Dart, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Baker Mayfield suffer fairly significant injuries in 2026. Las Vegas could potentially take advantage by moving O’Connell.”
O’Connell Rejoins Team
O’Connell hasn’t been with the team for a couple of weeks as he mourns the passing of his father. The Raiders have given him all the space he needs.
The team announced that O’Connell has finally rejoined the team ahead of the Week 4 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. He likely won’t be active, as he serves as the emergency third quarterback, but he’ll be back in Las Vegas.
Is Maxx Crosby Trade No Longer on the Table?
It’s notable that Knox didn’t list Maxx Crosby as the Raiders’ most valuable trade piece. That’s because he no longer thinks the star pass rusher is on the trade block.
The Raiders have been a good team, and good teams don’t trade their best players in the middle of the season. At this point, the team could even go into a slump ahead of the trade deadline and likely wouldn’t trade Crosby.
He should be part of the Raiders going forward. Now, a team could always blow Las Vegas away with a massive offer. Crosby isn’t an old player, but he is closing in on 30. He may only have two or three seasons left as an elite player. However, the Raiders are proving that they may be closer to being a threat in the playoffs than previously thought. The team will at least play this season out and could reevaluate things in the offseason when they have a better idea of where the roster is.
Raiders’ Most Valuable Trade Asset Revealed, and It’s Not Maxx Crosby