The Raiders’ quarterback room is suddenly one of the most talked-about in the NFL, and Aidan O’Connell is a big reason why.
Las Vegas enters Sunday’s matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium at 3-0, but the buzz around the team isn’t just about an undefeated AFC West showdown. A trade elsewhere in the league has put a fresh spotlight on backup quarterbacks, and O’Connell’s name is now part of that conversation.
Earlier this week, the New York Giants sent a fifth-round 2027 NFL Draft pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for quarterback JJ McCarthy. That move came after a wild Week 3 around the league, when six backup quarterbacks started and all six won for the first time in NFL history.
That kind of outcome only sharpens the league’s view of the position. In a sport where injuries happen, seasons stretch on, and reliable quarterback play is hard to find, the value of a capable backup keeps climbing.
Las Vegas is sitting on an especially interesting setup. Kirk Cousins leads the league with nine touchdown passes, tied with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, and is locked in as the starter.
Behind him is Fernando Mendoza, the Raiders’ 2026 No. 1 overall pick, a quarterback NFL executives have called the best QB prospect of the last four years. And then there’s O’Connell, a proven veteran on the 53-man roster as the third-stringer.
That depth would have sounded ridiculous not long ago. Now it looks like a strength.
O’Connell’s situation is especially intriguing because he is in the final year of his deal. The Raiders like him, and the organization believes in him, even though he has recently missed time because of personal matters with his family. At the same time, the business side of the sport is unavoidable.
The 2023 fourth-round pick has already started 17 games for Las Vegas, going 7-10 as a starter. In 21 career games, he has thrown for 3,932 yards with 20 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 62 percent completion rate.
That résumé does not settle the question of whether he is a QB1. It also does not answer the opposite. O’Connell has spent four years in the league with four head coaches and six offensive coordinators, which hardly screams stability.
So when McCarthy fetches a fifth-round pick, it naturally raises the question of what O’Connell might be worth.
One NFL executive put it this way: “We don’t need a backup, but if we did he would be the belle of the ball. I don’t think Mark [Davis] has done much to develop or help him until now (with Kling Kubiak), and the team and the player are going to have some interesting decisions.”
That same executive pointed to the bigger picture, saying, “Kirk [Cousins] isn’t playing much longer, so do you pay the kid more than you want to because he is prove to backup Mendoza, does he want to stick around? If he does, then you resign him now.
If you don’t want to pay him, or if he doesn’t want to be a backup, in the last year of his deal you trade him now. Pretty simple scenario, but there is a market for him for sure.”
Asked what that market could look like, the executive answered, “A five [fifth round], but in the last year of a deal it would be hard to get more, and some might not be able to put their mind around that. If you extended him, then I think it get go higher, perhaps significantly higher depending on the team, the need and the situation.”
The Raiders are not shopping O’Connell, and he is not asking out. But the league’s latest quarterback movement has made one thing clear: proven backup play is in demand, and O’Connell’s value has climbed with it. For John Spytek and Klint Kubiak, keeping him around suddenly looks even smarter.
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