Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell is QB 3 in a two-QB race, here are the arguments about trading him.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell is the odd man out in the Raiders’ QB battle, which makes him an interesting potential trade chip. Sam Warren of The Athletic mentioned this in his recent breakdown of how the final roster might look, and he followed that with a point/counterpoint piece about the pros and cons of moving O’Connell at some point in the next few weeks or month.
The argument for the trade
The pros for making the trade are simple, as Warren pointed out. O’Connell has little chance of making an impact on the field, so why not move him?
Anothe argument for making the trade is about the money the Raiders have invested in Kirk Cousins. They’re paying Cousins $20 million to start, then back up top pick Fernando Mendoza if all goes according to plan.
The team has serious money invested in Mendoza as well. He’s on his rookie contract, which can be a quarterback bargain if Mendoza plays right away, but regardless of the outcome of this competition, Mendoza won’t come cheap, either. The writing’s on the wall for O’Connell if you follow the money trail, and there’s nothing he can do to change that.
Moreover, O’Connell says he still wants to start, and there are multiple teams that would give him the opportunity to compete for a starting spot. The bottom of the quarterback barrel features some awful players, which means O’Connell would have a shot. The Raiders could also pick up a draft pick for him, although it would almost certainly be a Day 3 selection.
The argument against making the trade
According to Warren, O’Connell could be a key player in helping Medoza develop. The writer added that O’Connell is well-liked by both the coaching staff and other players, and he’s responded well to the adversity he’s faced in his career.
O’Connell has also been through the process of learning different schemes, so he could help Mendoza there as well, at least in theory. He represents yet another resource in what’s been described as a very detailed quarterback plan.
The injury possibility is another reason to keep him. Cousins will be 38 soon, and he has little mobility at this point in his career. Few teams are able to get their starting QB through 17 games without some kind of issue surfacing, and O’Connell represents another layer of insurance. O’Connell is also 7-10 as a starter, so he does know a little about winning games for a team that’s been a disaster for several seasons now.
