3 trades Raiders can make to free Aidan O'Connell after Gardner Minshew decision

The Las Vegas Raiders have officially named Gardner Minshew QB1 ahead of the regular season, which puts a damper on the Aidan O'Connell hype train. The former fourth-round pick started 10 games as a rookie and put together a few impressive stretches, but new Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is erring on the side of experience.

It's hard to blame him. Pierce is a first-time head coach with high expectations and Minshew is just far more proven. The 28-year-old made the Pro Bowl last season with the Indianapolis Colts and almost led his team to the playoffs. He should have more talent around him in Sin City, so there's a real chance the Minshew investment — all $25 million over two years — pays dividends.

Minshew is far from unimpeachable. If he struggles out of the gate, there's a world in which O'Connell assumes the starting gig and has a chance to keep it. But, with Minshew in the driver's seat and the Raiders undoubtedly eyeing top QB prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, the O'Connell experience could be coming to an end sooner than later.

Projecting forward, it may behoove the Raiders to consider a trade. O'Connell has value as a playable 25-year-old quarterback. That value diminishes the longer O'Connell toils on the sideline with an iPad in his hand.

Here are a few logical landing spots. We saw Kenny Pickett go to the Philadelphia Eagles for a third-round pick swap. Justin Fields was dealt for a sixth-round pick. That is probably the value range for O'Connell right now. Plenty of teams should consider coughing up a day-two or three pick to see if O'Connell develops into an everyday starter, or at least a viable long-term backup.

3. Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are essentially playing out the final year of Geno Smith's contract before pivoting to an undetermined future. The early reports under new head coach Mike Macdonald aren't the greatest, but Seattle has one of the brightest defensive minds in the league taking over for Pete Carroll. It's a fitting transition of power.

We don't really know how the offense will look under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb as he makes the transition from college to the NFL. Washington's high-powered offense landed the Huskies in the National Championship game last year, so the resumé is there, but college greatness does not always translate to the pros.

That said, we know Grubb likes to air it out. The Seahawks aren't going to bench Geno Smith, but the runway would be wide-open for O'Connell in 2025 and beyond. He'd probably face competition in camp, either from a veteran free agent or a high draft pick, but the Seahawks would represent a real long-term opportunity for him. From Seattle's perspective, it's not unwise to get a quality succession plan locked in early. Let O'Connell learn the playbook for a year, study at Smith's altar, and get up to speed for a 2025 breakout.

O'Connell can put some real strength behind his throws. The Seahawks' roster is littered with quality wideouts and the new offense seems like it will be extremely QB-friendly, so it's hard to imagine a much better destination for the next chapter of O'Connell's career.

2. New York Jets

The New York Jets are all set at quarterback this season. Freed from the shackles of Zach Wilson, Aaron Rodgers is (hopefully) on track for his first actual football campaign in East Rutherford. We cannot predict injuries, but Rodgers has worked hard to get back from his Achilles tear. The Jets need, rather desperarely, for this ploy to work. They have suffered through far too much uncertainty and off-field nonsense for it not to.

For now, Tyrod Taylor offers a solid, experienced backup. Last season was something approaching torture for Jets fans, who were teased with an all-time great quarterback, only to suffer through another full slate of Zach Wilson games. Taylor offers a better alternative in case of emergency. What happens once Rodgers retires, however, is less clear.

At 40 years old, Rodgers is toggling between a life in politics and the podcast realm, and football (godspeed, America). Every "event" that causes him to miss practice — and every other distraction that Rodgers conjures up — gives us a reason to believe that he might hang up his cleats sooner than later. Rodgers' contract expires after the 2025 season, and there's a decent chance New York is done with him by then.

All that said, O'Connell could be worth a flier from the Jets. Let him learn from Rodgers (see: Love, Jordan) and occupy the QB2 role, primed and ready to step in once Rodgers' career (or Jets tenure) comes to a conclusion. New York is another team that could look to draft a young quarterback before long, but O'Connell is worthy of investment. New York has accumulated no shortage of weapons to sustain a productive offense after Rodgers departs.

1. Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers issued a historic contract to Jordan Love this summer, so there's no question about who the Packers' long-term QB is. There is, however, an open void in the QB2 slot. Sean Clifford has the job nominally, but he is one of the less qualified backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Rookie Michael Pratt, a seventh-round pick, does not inspire much confidence either.

As such, the Packers could view O'Connell as a set-and-forget backup. We don't see a ton of "long term" backups in the NFL, but the Packers could invest in O'Connell as a years-long option behind Love. That would allow Green Bay to feel good about their contingency plan if Love ever gets hurt, and it removes backup QB from the list of concerns for at least a few years.

O'Connell probably wants a clearer path to playing time, but Green Bay is a competitive team with a tremendous offensive coach in Matt LaFleur. The Packers' WR room is among the most underrated groups in football. Few teams are on a steeper upward trajectory than Green Bay, and O'Connell may benefit from growing alongside such a young and talented collective. Even if he's not seeing the field much in the regular season, it's a chance for O'Connell to embed himself with a winner and learn the ropes in an optimal environment.

The Packers need to address the backup QB hole eventually. Clifford doesn't have it, and it's never wise to bet on health. Love should have a long and fruitful career ahead of him, but freak injuries happen. Most contenders have solid reserves at the position, whether it's a past-prime vet like Joe Flacco in Indianapolis, or a young up-and-comer like Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta.

O'Connell obviously falls in the latter category. Green Bay has a chance to put the backup QB hand-wringing to bed for the next half-decade. All it takes is the right trade package.