The upcoming season was supposed to bring a new dawn for the Las Vegas Raiders. In five seasons since moving from Oakland, the Raiders have managed exactly one winning record. That came in 2021 when the franchise, which has not won a playoff game and appeared in only two since falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2002 Super Bowl, scraped together 10 wins,
But despite the presence of the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, in the owner’s box after he acquired a five percent stake in the team last year, the Raiders appear to come up short at the most important position on the field.
O’Connell Exits Preseason Finale With Wrist Malady
After Saturday’s preseason finale, a disappointing 20-10 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals, their quarterback depth got even more shallow. Aidan O’Connell, the Raiders’ 2023 fourth-round draft pick who had been tabbed by new coach Pete Carroll as the primary backup to Geno Smith, entered the game after Smith’s first and only drive and promptly took a strip sack.
At first, O’Connell seemed fine, returning to play a second drive. But he soon left the field and retreated to the locker room. When he finally emerged, he wore a brace on his right wrist.
“He fractured his wrist,” Carroll said after the game. “He’s hurt. It’s going to be a while. He’ll have to get that fixed, so that’s a big blow for us.”
Backup QB to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Carroll later announced that the former Purdue Boilermaker who led the Big Ten with 320 completions in 2022 would miss somewhere from six to eight weeks.
With two weeks to go before the Raiders open their season in New England against the Patriots, Carroll’s timeline would mean O’Connell would remain unavailable at least until Week Seven when the Raiders visit the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.
In the meantime, Carroll said on Sunday, the Raiders will aggressively shop around for a new backup signal caller behind Smith.
6th Round Pick Completes 12 Passes
As it stands, with O’Connell sidelined, the Raiders have only 2025 sixth-round pick Cam Miller to spell Smith should the need arise. Miller saw limited action this preseason until he was forced into Saturday’s game after O’Connell went to the trainer’s room.
In 24 attempts, Miller completed 12 passes for 102 yards without a touchdown â or an interception.
Though he remains on the Cleveland Browns roster as of Sunday, one likely candidate to be available is perhaps the most highly publicized quarterback from this year’s draft â and certainly the most highly publicized fifth-round quarterback draft pick in many years, if not ever.
Sanders Likely to be Available Cheaply
That quarterback, of course, is the flamboyant 23-year-old former Colorado Buffalo, Shedeur Sanders â who led the Big 12 last year with 4,134 passing yards and a 74 percent completion rate that resulted in another conference-best total of 37 touchdowns.
As a fifth-round pick who appears to be the fourth â or at best, third â option of the four quarterbacks Cleveland rather strangely appears determined to keep on their 53-man roster, Sanders would come inexpensively in a trade.
In all likelihood, anything more than a corresponding fifth-round pick would be looked on as an overpay for Sanders.
One Possible Catch in Pursuit of Sanders
For the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, a move to Las Vegas would represent an opportunity to take a key role on a team that, despite a 4-13 record last season, has every intention of competing for a playoff spot in 2025. The catch is that Sanders lacks one quality that Carroll said he wants to see in a new backup QB.
“I want somebody who’s played,” Carroll said on Sunday. “That’s what’s important. Somebody who’s had game experience is huge to me. We have Cam [Miller] and Cam hasn’t played much in the league, so we’re looking for an experienced player who can help us.”
How closely Carroll adheres to that requirement with Sanders likely to be easily obtainable remains to be seen.
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