Aidan O’Connell’s future with Raiders suddenly in doubt

Despite being far from the worst performing player for the Las Vegas Raiders in Thursday’s tie against the Seattle Seahawks, no one lost more than Aidan O’Connell.

The third-year quarterback did not have an awe-inspiring performance as it was, especially marred by two interceptions. However, even worse for O’Connell was how well his understudy in sixth-round rookie Cam Miller was. Coming into the game in the fourth quarter, Miller galvanized the Raiders offense to a furious comeback, with the team moving the ball much more efficiently with him under center compared to O’Connell.

After Miller shined as brightly as he did, O’Connell not only has to worry about his backup role, but his future on the Raiders as a whole.

O’Connell is now the subject of more trade rumors.

According to Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton, O’Connell is a quarterback not only fighting for his roster spot, but someone the Raiders could showcase for the rest of the preseason to boost his trade value.

“On Thursday, O’Connell had a rough outing in a preseason matchup with the Seahawks, throwing for 205 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Miller entered the game in the fourth quarter and provided a spark on a touchdown drive,” Moton wrote.

“Miller must show more to outright claim the primary backup position, but don’t be surprised if the Raiders continue to showcase O’Connell in hopes of shipping him out of a revamped quarterback room.”

The race to backup Geno Smith is far from over, but O’Connell now finds his rookie teammate too close for comfort.

If the preseason continues unfolding as it did against the Seahawks and Miller overtakes O’Connell, the Raiders would suddenly have the incentive to flip the Purdue product for an extra draft pick. Teams around the league will always be willing to accept an upgrade to their backup position, and injuries could force their way in the picture as well. Depending on how the rest of the preseason goes, the Raiders could end up getting a decent pick out of the deal.

O’Connell should still be considered in the lead behind Smith, but the momentum is clearly not on his side right now.