Aidan O’Connell’s hopes of becoming the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback essentially ended when the team traded a third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Geno Smith.
Any lingering chance he had quickly vanished after the Raiders handed Smith a $75 million contract extension, keeping him in Las Vegas through 2027.
Now, according to reporting by Vic Tafur of The Athletic and a prediction from Moe Moton of Bleacher Report, O’Connell’s time with the Raiders could be coming to a close entirely—possibly during the upcoming NFL Draft, scheduled for April 24–26 in Green Bay.
The idea is that Las Vegas may trade O’Connell during the draft and select a new quarterback on Day 2, potentially targeting Alabama’s Jalen Milroe or Texas’ Quinn Ewers. Both QBs recently played on college football’s biggest stage, with Milroe appearing in the 2023 College Football Playoff and Ewers the year before.
“O’Connell has done a solid job as a backup, throwing for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with a 62.6% completion rate over two seasons,” Moton wrote on April 16.
“But with a new coaching staff led by Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the team may be looking for a more mobile quarterback—which could put O’Connell’s spot on the roster at risk.”
Originally a fourth-round pick two years ago, O’Connell still has two seasons left on his $4.35 million rookie deal. Considering his experience and affordable contract, the Raiders should be able to find a trade partner—but they likely won’t get more than a Day 3 draft pick in return.
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