The Las Vegas Raiders traded for quarterback Geno Smith this offseason, permanently demoting returner Aidan O'Connell to a backup role. Given that another new regime is in place in Las Vegas, O'Connell is now on his fifth different offensive coordinator in under three seasons.
This transition has been hard for the third-year signal-caller, as O'Connell did not exactly impress during the preseason. Luckily for him, rookie sixth-rounder Cam Miller floundered after an initial spark in the preseason opener, so O'Connell's No. 2 spot on the depth chart seemed secure.
However, O'Connell left Saturday's preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals with an injury. The extent of his injury was initially unknown, but he was spotted on the sideline wearing a splint on his throwing arm.
Aidan O'Connell fractures wrist, will miss 6-8 weeks
Immediately following the game, head coach Pete Carroll confirmed to reporters that O'Connell had broken his right wrist. According to The Athletic's Tashan Reed, he'll need surgery and will be out for at least 6-8 weeks.
"It's going to be a while. That's a big blow for us."Pete Carroll on Aidan O'Connell's injury
Although both the team and Raider Nation surely felt that the backup quarterback position needed to be addressed in some capacity before the 2025 NFL season, there is now an extreme need to go out and find a competent replacement for O'Connell.
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Carroll was nowhere close to committal when asked if the rookie, Miller, is ready to be the second-string quarterback. So, it is likely that the Raiders will go out and find a veteran replacement sometime in the coming days.
With roster cutdowns looming, O'Connell is likely to be stashed on the injured reserve as the team weighs its options. The free agent market is brutally thin at this point in the offseason, but several teams could release promising players in the coming days.
Other suitable quarterbacks could also become available via trade, but it will be a balancing game for the franchise to not give up too much capital for a player that they hopefully never have to see on the field.
This is just a terrible blow for the third-year player, who was already having a rough time this preseason. Hopefully, O'Connell can fully recover from this injury as quickly as possible and get his career back on track.