The Raiders may not have planned to put Aidan O’Connell back in the spotlight this quickly, but the quarterback market has a way of forcing decisions.
Klint Kubiak made it clear before training camp that Kirk Cousins is the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback, at least for now. He also said he wants both Fernando Mendoza and O’Connell to push Cousins, but the first practice already told a different story.
Mendoza moved ahead of O’Connell and handled the second-team offense, and by all accounts the rookie looked good doing it. For O’Connell, that leaves him sitting at No. 3 - a tough spot for a player who wants to be a starter in the NFL.
That’s why the chatter around O’Connell has only grown louder this offseason. He’s a fourth-year pro now, and it feels increasingly possible that he could be on the move before the 2026 NFL season. One team that practically waved a flag for help on Wednesday was the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta’s quarterback room is a mess. Michael Penix Jr., the incumbent starter who took the job from Cousins for good last season, is still working back from his third torn ACL and won’t be ready when camp opens.
He said it could be up to four weeks before he’s cleared, which means he may miss a chunk of the preseason too. Then came another setback: Tua Tagovailoa, brought in this offseason to compete with Penix Jr., isn’t ready for full-team work after an injury flared up.
Trevor Siemian was also waived Wednesday with a non-football injury.
That left UDFA Jack Strand taking all of the first-team reps on Wednesday. The Falcons responded by signing veteran Cooper Rush, and wide receiver Jahan Dotson joked that he met him “in the huddle.” At this point, Atlanta’s quarterback situation is as unstable as it gets.
That’s where O’Connell starts to make sense. He may be the odd man out in Las Vegas, but he’s got more of a résumé than he gets credit for. He has 17 starts and solid production, which should give him a market if the Raiders decide to shop him this preseason.
On paper, it might seem strange for the Falcons to chase another quarterback after drafting Penix Jr. early, signing Tagovailoa this offseason and then swapping Siemian for Rush. But injuries at quarterback change everything fast. The Raiders already lived that reality last preseason, when O’Connell broke his wrist in the preseason finale and Las Vegas sent a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Kenny Pickett, even with rookie sixth-rounder Cam Miller showing some promise and Geno Smith already in the building on a big deal.
If Penix Jr. is out for the next month and Tagovailoa’s injury keeps hanging around, Atlanta could be forced to keep digging. And with Penix Jr. and Tagovailoa not expected to coexist beyond this season, the Falcons still need a long-term backup plan.
O’Connell could fit that role, and maybe more. The idea of him eventually challenging for the starting job there down the line isn’t out of the question either. At the very least, Atlanta needs someone dependable behind two quarterbacks with injury concerns.
Maybe O’Connell doesn’t wind up in Atlanta this soon. There are probably other places where he’d have a cleaner path to relevance.
But he doesn’t have a no-trade clause, and if the Raiders decide to move him, they’ll take the best package they can get. Desperation has a way of creating a market, and this one already looks like it could use a quarterback.
John Spytek should at least be listening.
In Other News...
Raiders Fans Just Got A Telling AFC West Camp Reality Check
Training camp across the AFC West is already offering a reminder that the Raiders are not just building their own roster, they are trying to close the gap on a division that never stands still. Denver has a new training facility, Kansas City is juggling staff and personnel questions, and the Chargers are leaning hard into continuity as they get ready for another run, which means Las Vegas has to track more than its own depth chart this summer.
For the Raiders, the early division picture is useful because it shows where the pressure points may be. The Broncos still have some long-term questions up front, the Chiefs are sorting through uncertainty at several spots on both sides of the ball, and the Chargers are banking on healthy key pieces returning to form. None of that settles the AFC West race, but it does give Las Vegas a clearer sense of where the openings might be if it wants to make a move. [Read more 🡒]
These Raiders UDFAs Have A Real Shot To Survive Camp
Training camp has a way of sorting out the long shots from the real contenders, and the Raiders have a few undrafted free agents who already look like they belong in the conversation. Las Vegas brought in 17 UDFAs this offseason, and the early read is that Kansei Matsuzawa, Roman Hemby and Cian Slone each have a plausible route to sticking around if they keep showing up in camp and preseason action.
Matsuzawa may have the cleanest opening because of what he already brings as a kicker, while Hemby and Slone fit the kind of depth-chasing the Raiders need as the roster takes shape. None of those paths are guaranteed, of course, and that is the point of this part of camp: every rep matters, every preseason snap matters, and for a few undrafted players, the next few weeks could decide whether they are still in the building when the final cuts arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Still Have Two Starting Jobs That Could Change Everything
The Raiders spent most of the offseason settling their depth chart, leaving far fewer questions than they had a few months ago. On offense and defense, the starting picture is largely in place, but the interior of the offensive line is still unsettled enough to matter. Both guard spots remain open heading into training camp, and that makes the next few weeks a real test for a unit that can shape how steady the whole offense looks.
Kevin Kubiak has made it clear the decision will not come down to one flashy practice or a single strong rep. Consistency, versatility, pass protection, run blocking and how well each player fits with the rest of the line all figure into the mix, which is exactly why this battle could linger for a while. The Raiders also have to wait before the physical part of camp really ramps up, so this is the kind of competition that should reveal itself gradually rather than all at once. [Read more 🡒]