The Las Vegas Raiders already had a backup quarterback issue on their hands this preseason based on the play of Aidan O'Connell and Cam Miller. However, now with O'Connell likely sidelined for the first two months of the 2025 NFL season, the team needs to go out and find a solid backup.
This will be a difficult task, as solid backups do not grow on trees, and teams are not exactly eager to get rid of them. So, the Raiders will have to play a balancing game to make sure that they do not give up too much draft capital for a player that, ideally, should never touch the field this season.
However, Las Vegas needs to be prepared for anything, as last night demonstrated once again just how fickle the NFL can be. They could always wait for a player to get released or waived, but there is an obvious trade target for them to pursue, and he might not cost too much.
Raiders should kick the tires on Bucs backup quarterback Kyle Trask
Kyle Trask was a second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 NFL Draft. The only problem is that he has never gotten to play at the professional level because he had to sit behind two veteran quarterbacks.
He lost a quarterback battle a few offseasons ago to Baker Mayfield, but before that, he was Tom Brady's backup. Oh, and John Spytek was part of the Buccaneers' front office that chose to select him with that premier capital, so he clearly sees something in him.
Trask was fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2020, but he simply has not gotten a chance in the NFL thus far. In just seven appearances, he has completed only four of his 11 pass attempts for 28 yards, but this is such a small sample size, and he has not played any meaningful snaps.
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With the emergence of Teddy Bridgewater being a veteran backup to Mayfield in Tampa Bay this offseason, Trask could easily be waived or dangled as a trade piece, and Spytek likely wouldn't hesitate to call his former employer, Jason Licht.
The last two preseasons, Trask has completed 69 of his 106 passes for 634 yards and four passing touchdowns. He has taken five sacks for 45 yards and thrown an interception, but he provides plenty for Chip Kelly and Co. to work with if the Buccaneers are willing to part ways.
A trade package for the 2021 second-rounder shouldn't include more than a sixth-rounder from the Raiders. If the team could receive Trask and a 2026 seventh-rounder for a 2026 sixth-rounder, they should absolutely pull the trigger. Heck, the Raiders may even feel that a fifth-rounder is worth it.