Raiders QB Floated as Possible Derek Carr Replacement for Saints

The New Orleans Saints were aware that there was a good chance that Derek Carr wasn’t going to play in 2025 for months, but now that he’s officially retired, they may want to consider adding a veteran quarterback to the roster. Right now, they have Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough on the roster.

Those three have a combined seven NFL starts. The Saints already drew from the Las Vegas Raiders‘ well when they signed Carr, but could draw again to find his temporary replacement.

Aidan O’Connell was picked in the same round of the same draft as Haener, but he’s gotten much more experience over the past two seasons. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report floated the idea of O’Connell replacing Carr on the Saints.

“Because of head coach Pete Carroll’s rapport with Smith, dating back to their time together with the Seattle Seahawks when the signal-caller won 2022 Comeback Player of the Year and earned two Pro Bowl nods, don’t expect an open quarterback competition in Las Vegas,” Moton wrote. “Furthermore, the Raiders drafted Cam Miller in the sixth round of this year’s draft. He could be offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s developmental project at the position.

“At 26, O’Connell has proved himself to be a decent spot starter and backup, with 17 career starts. He can push or beat out an older bridge-gap quarterback for the lead position.”

Raiders Have Been Open to Trading O’Connell

The Raiders would likely be happy if a team made an offer for O’Connell. While he’s acquitted himself well for the team despite less-than-ideal circumstances, the team has a new front office and coaching staff in place.

Plus, they are committed to Geno Smith going forward. O’Connell is a capable backup and a much better option for 2025 than the rookie Miller. However, The Athletic previously reported that the Raiders were considering trading O’Connell during the draft, so they’re clearly not tied to him.

It would be risky to move on from a capable backup like O’Connell and give the keys to Miller, but perhaps Carroll has a veteran backup quarterback he’d like to add anyway. Regardless, if the Saints offer a draft pick, it might be hard for the Raiders to say no.

What if Raiders Decide to Keep O’Connell?

It’s hard to imagine the Raiders would simply cut O’Connell outright. A young quarterback with 17 starts who has thrown 2o touchdowns to 11 interceptions has some value.

If the Raiders do decide to keep O’Connell on the roster, he’s going to get a chance to compete for the starting job. A hallmark of Carroll is that no player ever has their depth chart spot locked down, even if they are making a lot of money.

If O’Connell outperforms Smith in training camp, he will be the starter. That’s a very unlikely scenario, but he can at least prove he belongs as a backup. He’s played well despite the chaos in the building.

In his first two seasons, he had four different playcallers, and he’s now on his third head coach and fifth playcaller. The Raiders would be wise to at least see if there’s any potential still there.