Is Aidan O’Connell the Guy for Minnesota?
The Minnesota Vikings have yet to go out and secure a backup quarterback. J.J. McCarthy is in line to be the starter, and Brett Rypien is a backup option that the franchise likes. There needs to be a veteran option between them, and to this point, a decision hasn’t been made.
Is Aidan O’Connell the Guy for Minnesota?
Most of the qualified free agent quarterbacks are already off the board. It remains increasingly likely that the Vikings could trade for a quarterback following next week’s NFL Draft. If they do so, the Las Vegas Raiders may have an intriguing option.
Aidan O’Connell was a fourth-round pick out of Purdue just two years ago. He has plenty of starting experience for the Raiders as he split time under center. Across 20 games (17 starts), O’Connell has completed more than 62% of his passes and owns a 20/11 TD/INT ratio.
Las Vegas brought in Geno Smith this offseason, and it’s obvious that new head coach Pete Carroll will roll with him as the starter. O’Connell has been developed under a different staff, and his place on the roster could be in jeopardy. If Vegas is open to moving him for a little more than a late-round draft pick, Minnesota might find some intrigue.
O’Connell wouldn’t be brought to Minnesota with the idea that he’ll play. The hope is that McCarthy hits the ground running and never looks back. There’s no guarantee that it works out that way, and having someone with at least shown flashes to come on in relief makes sense.
As a rookie, O’Connell owned a 5-5 record for Las Vegas. Last season, he struggled and went 2-5 in the games he started. Like Sam Darnold before him, O’Connell would easily be thrust into the best situation of his career, and any playing exposure for the Vikings could vault him into a better situation as his career progresses.
The Vikings still must address the quarterback position, whether it’s O’Connell or someone else. That’s a certainty to happen at some point. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been coy about handling that position, but discussions with the Raiders aren’t a bad place to look.
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Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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