The Las Vegas Raiders have swung a few trades this offseason, but might not be done quite yet. The quarterback room is a little crowded right now.
No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza will hopefully be with the team for a long time, and Kirk Cousins is the early favorite to start in Week 1. In addition to those two, the Raiders have Aidan O’Connell and rookie Jacob Clark on the roster.
Clark is going to have a hard time making the roster outside of a possible practice squad spot, but O’Connell is more interesting. There’s been some talk about possibly trading him. The Athletic’s Sam Warren made the case for why the Raiders should trade him.
“There’s often no rush to move on from an experienced depth piece like O’Connell,” Warren wrote. “But entering the final year of his contract speeds up the timeline. Even if Las Vegas wanted to keep and extend O’Connell, it’s unlikely that he’d re-sign in this current situation and instead explore free agency for more competitive opportunities. The current deal makes this season Las Vegas’ last to get value from O’Connell, whether that be on the field or from a return package.
“It’s uncertain what O’Connell could net from another team. The Raiders acquired Kenny Pickett from the Browns at the end of training camp last season for a 2026 fifth-round pick as insurance after O’Connell fractured his wrist in the preseason. Other recent trades of the sort have involved a quarterback and a pick swap, or a quarterback for a late-round pick straight up. O’Connell’s time as a Raider could end early if a similar haul is deemed viable by Las Vegas.”
Why Raiders Should Trade O’Connell
On the surface, it makes sense for the Raiders to trade O’Connell. Mendoza is the future at quarterback and Cousins can be a solid starter.
However, there’s no guarantee that either will be better than O’Connell this season. Cousins is going to be 38 when the season starts, and Mendoza is a rookie. Warren also made the case why the Raiders should consider keeping O’Connell.
He believes that the veteran quarterback could be an insurance policy if Cousins isn’t good anymore and Mendoza isn’t ready to play. Plus, if O’Connell plays well, he could have a better trade market.
“Rostering three quarterbacks isn’t a common practice, but Kubiak was able to keep three on the Seahawks’ initial 53 last season and could do so easily with a less talented roster in Las Vegas,” Warren wrote. “Holding onto O’Connell into the season could also increase his trade value if any other team’s quarterback goes down and the Raiders felt ready to move on.”
Raiders Will Let Things Play Out in Training Camp
The Raiders aren’t in any rush to figure out what they’re doing at quarterback this season. They still have training camp to go through.
O’Connell has impressed head coach Klint Kubiak, so that’ll help his chances of keeping a roster spot. It’s not impossible that he could be the Week 1 starter this year.
Insider Makes Case for Raiders to Swing QB Trade