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The Las Vegas Raiders almost certainly will start a healthy Kirk Cousins at quarterback for Week 1 of the 2026 season. Meanwhile, some eyebrows were raised when a recent report claimed that Aidan O’Connell could enter September as the club’s primary backup over rookie and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza.
For a piece published on Friday, Sam Warren of The Athletic shared more information on why the Raiders could hold onto O’Connell through at least a portion of the fall.
Aidan O’Connell could help mentor Fernando Mendoza
“O’Connell is well-liked by the Raiders’ staff and players for his leadership and perseverance through adversity,” Warren wrote. “Andrew Janocko would be his seventh offensive coordinator in his fourth season, counting interims, marking about as much turnover as a quarterback can have through his rookie contract. O’Connell has had to learn different schemes, terminology and voices quickly through such changes, including this offseason. His experience could be very beneficial for Mendoza as he undergoes his introduction to the NFL, and the veteran could be a major resource for the rookie as they learn [first-year Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak’s] offense together.”
Unless Raiders minority owner Tom Brady has experienced a change of heart over the past couple of years, he almost certainly will want to keep Mendoza from seeing live action in meaningful games until either late this season or September 2027. Additionally, Brady also expects the Raiders to show “a lot of improvement” after the club ended the 2025 campaign with a record of 3-14.
Considering Mendoza allegedly “had his fair share of growing pains, especially when playing under center, and mastering the footwork that comes with it” during springtime workouts, it’s not a stretch to suggest that O’Connell could be the second-best quarterback on the Las Vegas roster by the time August comes to an end.
“O’Connell could help keep the Raiders competitive and Mendoza’s timeline correct if inserted as well,” Warren added. “He’s 7-10 as a starter in his career, giving him the most wins as a quarterback for the team since entering the NFL, and has a 20-11 touchdown-to-interception mark. The figures are unremarkable, but they’re serviceable, which is why other franchises would be interested in him.”
Why Klint Kubiak may not be in a rush to move on from O’Connell
O’Connell reportedly wouldn’t be the first backup targeted by a club if it lost a starting signal-caller to an injury at some point over the next few months. It’s also worth noting that Mendoza could play well enough through the preseason to make takes about his “growing pains” look downright silly.
Warren mentioned that Kubiak could keep three quarterbacks on the Raiders’ initial active roster and then see if a team decides during the season that it wants to give up something of value for O’Connell. Whether or not the Raiders actually trade O’Connell this summer could say plenty about where Kubiak and Co. feel Mendoza is in the rookie’s overall development.
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