Raiders insider says this QB could be moved during NFL Draft

Aidan O'Connell's days with the Las Vegas Raiders could be coming to an end after he was drafted by the team in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

In a story published for Thursday, The Athletic's Vic Tafur said O'Connell could be on his way out during the 2025 NFL Draft since the Raiders acquired Geno Smith in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

"The Raiders' new brass doesn't seem that high on incumbent Aidan O'Connell," Tafur wrote. "Many expect them to try and trade him for a pick on Day 3 of the draft."

The NFL Draft is set for April 24-26 in Green Bay.

Tafur added the Raiders tried to trade for former New England Patriots backup quarterback Joe Milton before he was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys. It appears the general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll have other things in mind in adding a backup. 

Tafur's latest report said the Raiders could target a QB2 on Day 2 of the draft, either Jaxson Dart, Quinn Ewers or Will Howard. It is expected, however, Dart and Howard will be gone by the time the Raiders pick at 68th overall. That would leave the Raiders with Ewers, who told NFL insider Tom Pelissero on "The Rich Eisen Show" that "it would be awesome" to play for Carroll.

Now that Smith is in the fold, it wouldn't make sense for the Raiders to draft a quarterback with the sixth overall pick. There are other needs the Raiders must address, particularly the running back, wide receiver and cornerback positions. For now, there seems to be a possibility that O'Connell is on his way out after being put in a position in difficult circumstances under former head coaches Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce.

In 17 starts, O'Connell had a 7-10 record and completed 367 of 586 passes for 3,830 yards and 20 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, according to Pro Football Reference. Those numbers seem to indicate the Raiders could find a trade partner while picking up a draft pick that Spytek covets the most. 

If a trade happens then it's a win-win for Spytek while he continues to evaluate the quarterbacks in this year's draft.