The Las Vegas Raiders‘ quarterback room has been a mess the last two seasons. Aidan O’Connell wasn’t the Week 1 starter in either season, but he was the Week 18 starter for each.
However, new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek clearly didn’t see him as a starting quarterback. The team tried to trade for Matthew Stafford, but eventually landed on Geno Smith.
He’ll be the starting quarterback in 2025 and possibly beyond after signing a contract extension with the team. O’Connell is a valuable backup. He’s started in 17 games and played admirably.
Despite that, the Raiders might be looking in a different direction. The Athletic’s Vic Tafur recently suggested that O’Connell could be traded during the draft, but if they can’t find a partner, they might need to cut him outright.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton gave a list of the top cut candidates this offseason, and O’Connell made an appearance on the list.
“In two seasons, O’Connell has played well as a fill-in starter, throwing for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a 62.6 percent completion rate,” Moton wrote.
“However, the Raiders have a mostly new coaching staff led by lead skipper Pete Carroll. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly may want a more athletic quarterback room, which would jeopardize O’Connell’s roster spot.”
Smith Brings Stability to Raiders
Smith isn’t a superstar quarterback, but he’s at least one of the 15 best in the NFL. That’s better than what the Raiders have had. Carroll thinks that Smith will help bring stability to a position group that has been unstable for the team.
“He’s going to bring us great stability and belief,” Carroll said during Smith’s introductory press conference. “His habits are so, so stellar. The way he works, the way he looks at the game, the way he looks at the challenges of it all is exactly in line with the way we think. And so, he’ll represent us in a magnificent fashion.”
Smith Talks Tom Brady
New Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has been heavily involved in helping the team find a quarterback. They wouldn’t have traded for Smith without getting Brady’s clearance.
For his part, Smith is a big fan of the future Hall of Famer.
“It’s Tom Brady. It’s a guy that I’ve idolized and looked up to, and I believe that he does things the right way. I think that’s something that I wanted to take from just watching his game from afar,” Smith said. “I went to his home and got a chance to just spend about an hour and just talk ball with him and just talk about life, and you understand why he is who he is immediately. He takes everything extremely seriously. He’s a diligent worker, and he believes in hard work, and I think we align in that way. I want to be a sponge. I want to soak up as much knowledge as I can from him. I want to learn as much as I can from him. He’s the greatest quarterback to play the game, and there’s so many things that you can learn. The main thing is that I’m here to win, and I’m here to do the right things for my teammates just as he did.”
