The Las Vegas Raiders added a new starting quarterback this offseason, acquiring Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks.
With Smith set to be the starting quarterback in Las Vegas in 2025 and for the foreseeable future, as he signed a two-year extension shortly after being traded, NFL Rumors' Logan Ulrich believes the Raiders should try to trade Aidan O'Connell, who is slated to be Smith's backup.
The selection of quarterback Cam Miller out of North Dakota State in Round 6 of April's draft also makes O'Connell more expendable, according to Ulrich.
"O’Connell is also still on a cheap rookie contract, making him appealing as a backup, but the Raiders also used a sixth-round pick on QB Cam Miller. If they entrust the backup job to him, O’Connell becomes expendable. He’s shown potential as a quality career backup during his first two seasons and should garner trade interest," Ulrich wrote.
O'Connell showed promise during his rookie campaign in 2023, starting ten games and tossing 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions with a 62.1% completion rate and a 5-5 record.
However, he took a massive step back in 2024, as he lost the starting job to Gardner Minshew in training camp and was uninspiring even when on the field last year.
O'Connell will likely never develop into a full-time starting quarterback, but the Purdue standout could be a solid backup. If the Raiders decide to move on from O'Connell as the backup to Smith in favor of Miller, trading him for a Day 3 pick would be a savvy move, though his market could be dry given his subpar performance in 2024.
MORE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS NEWS
Raiders predicted to add 6-interception cornerback with 47 starts under his belt
Patrick Mahomes shows Maxx Crosby tons of respect with definitive statement
Raiders getting no love in prediction from NFL analyst