Since Derek Carr left, the Las Vegas Raiders have struggled to find a viable quarterback, or even a below-average one. But looking at the 2026 roster right now, and perhaps certiainly by the end of training camp, it will be the case, you could say, that there are three viable quarterbacks.
Only one guy can start, though, obviously, and another would be the top backup. The odd-man out in that scenario right now seems to be Aidan O'Connell, with Kirk Cousins the presumed Week 1 starter and rookie Fernando Mendoza set to take over whenever he's deemed ready.
Circumstances exist in which O'Connell would become more valuable to Las Vegas, and he's worth keeping around to cover for those possibilities. But in what is a contract year, the prospect of a whole season where he sits as the No. 3 quarterback isn't ideal for his free agent résumé come next March.
Sam Warren of The Athletic has taken a look at the entirety of O'Connell's situation with the Silver and Black, and there's certainly plenty of viable rationale on both sides of the equation for the Raiders to trade him or keep him. In a way, O'Connell is a good problem for Las Vegas to have.
Las Vegas Raiders may have a 'problem' they won't mind having with Aidan O'Connell
As Warren noted, O'Connell could become a prime trade asset before the start of the season, with multiple teams interested in a quarterback who has posted respectable numbers as a starter through three hodge-podge NFL campaigns.
"Several teams could be interested in adding O’Connell’s services this offseason," Warren noted. "The most obvious may be the Jets, as [Geno] Smith’s investigation for an alleged battery complicates his status and New York has a group of unproven backups. The Cardinals may also be in the market given Jacoby Brissett’s contract dispute. And teams like the Patriots, Dolphins and Jaguars could all be looking to upgrade their backups. Injuries could create new suitors during training camp as well."
As Warren also noted, now on his seventh offensive coordinator entering his fourth season as a Raider, O'Connell has had to learn multiple offensive schemes and different terminology in a relatively short time period. He is a smart and adaptable player who teams can feel comfortable acquiring.
While that makes him valuable to the Raiders as a resource for Mendoza, other teams would surely pay for that, too. However unlikely it is, it's possible O'Connell will ask to be traded at some point. It's far more likely to be up to the Raiders' brass to decide what they consider most beneficial to them.
If that means trading O'Connell if/when his value spikes before Week 1, so be it. If that means keeping him, at least into the season if not the entire season, so be it. All in all, it's a "problem" that will be welcome to deal with, compared to other issues that can surface for a football team.
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