The Minnesota Vikings must act quickly to replace Carson Wentz who is out for the season with a shoulder injury, which has left returning starter J.J. McCarthy without an experienced backup quarterback.
Free agency is the most expeditious path to adding a veteran, and a player like Taylor Heinicke with 29 starts and a plus TD-INT ratio for his career would make considerable sense. But if Minnesota wants to aim higher and doesn’t care about a little extra time/logistical work, plus the draft asset trading for a signal-caller will cost, then the franchise has eight days before the league’s trade deadline to work out a deal.
Every NFL team, even those with elite QBs, understands that it is just one play away from the entire offense changing, which is what gives the backup quarterback position so much value in the modern game. Most organizations don’t have a signal-caller to spare, at least not one in which other franchises like the Vikings would be widely interested. However, that isn’t necessarily the case for the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Raiders began the summer with Geno Smith as the starter and Aidan O’Connell as the backup. However, the latter suffered a broken wrist in the final preseason game of August. That necessitated a trade between Las Vegas and the Cleveland Browns for former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett.
Pickett has served as Smith’s backup QB for the first seven games of the season. However, O’Connell is on track to return against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 2 following the Raiders’ bye week, which makes Pickett expendable.
Aidan O’Connell’s Return to Raiders Should Render Kenny Pickett Trade Candidate
GettyLas Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
O’Connell is familiar with the Raiders’ offense, having started 17 games there across his first two NFL seasons. He’s also a fan favorite in Las Vegas.
Pickett, on the other hand, has played in just one game for the franchise and attempted just two passes. The team sent Cleveland a fifth-round pick in return for Pickett to fill a need that is about to evaporate.
“He’s getting there,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said of O’Connell last week, per Ezekiel Trezevant of SI. “We haven’t seen him throw or anything in practice yet, but he’s getting there, and he’s in pretty good shape right now.”
O’Connell is also in just the third year of his rookie contract, while Pickett is a free agent next March, which renders Pickett the smarter bet as a trade candidate.
Kenny Pickett Represents Inexpensive 1-Year Rental for Vikings
GettyLas Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Minnesota has more need for a veteran backup than any team in the league at this moment, which logically slots them in as a frontrunner for Pickett’s services.
His value is clearly established, as the Browns sent the Philadelphia Eagles a fifth-round pick for him March before trading him to Las Vegas for the same asset roughly five and a half months later.
Pickett has started 25 games in his professional career (15-10). He has thrown for 4,773 yards, 15 TDs and 14 INTs. He has also rushed for 306 yards and five scores.
Pickett is in the final year of his $14 million rookie deal, which carries a base salary of just over $2.6 million in 2025. Based on contract proration and his previous trade value, Pickett would cost Minnesota a fifth-round draft pick and just under $1.46 million for the remainder of the year.
The Vikings would not be beholden to Pickett for any money or years beyond the end of the 2025 season.
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