Aidan O’Connell has been portrayed as the the lost piece in the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback picture.
He has been the subject of trade speculation all offseason and the reasoning is obvious. There is no apparent future for the 2023 fourth-round pick with the franchise. The long-term future, of course, is No. 1 overall pick, rookie Fernando Mendoza and the immediate future may be veteran free-agent addition Kirk Cousins.
The entire Raiders’ offseason has surrounded both Mendoza and Cousins. O’Connell
has been far in the background.
But, still, that doesn’t mean O’Connell won’t be part of the 2026 season. He could remain with the team as the No. 3 quarterback. New Las Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak was impressed by O’Connell this offseason.
“I competed against him live on game day,” Kubiak said. “I’m not surprised with the positive camp that he’s had. In college football and the NFL, everyone has a new coach every year. That’s just how it goes. You can make that an excuse, or you can use it to get better. I think he’s used it in the latter way.”
Time will tell what happens with O’Connell. he could always be traded if there are injuries in training camp and the preseason. But, there is also a solid chance he remains in Las Vegas for his fourth NFL season under a fourth head coach.
