Raiders predicted to ditch Aidan O'Connell in favor of Pro Bowl backup quarterback
The Las Vegas Raiders have been predicted to sign a backup quarterback in free agency who would replace Aidan O'Connell as the projected backup to Fernando Mendoza.
Raiders predicted to ditch Aidan O'Connell in favor of Pro Bowl backup quarterback originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Las Vegas Raiders may very well be content with Aidan O'Connell as the backup for soon-to-be-drafted new franchise quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
But as we've seen over the years, O'Connell isn't guaranteed to keep the Raiders afloat if he has to start for any reason, and that's not an ideal situation for a first-year head coach in Klint Kubiak, who wants to get out of the gates strong. Luckily, there are a few options out there in free agency if the Raiders aren't content with O'Connell and one of them is former Pro Bowler and Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Kirk Cousins. In an article predicting landing spots for some of the top free agents remaining, SportsGrid's Paul Connor predicts the Raiders will sign Cousins in free agency.
"The Raiders are universally projected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall," Connor writes. "New head coach Klint Kubiak operates a wide-zone system that Cousins previously mastered, making him the perfect mentor to accelerate Mendoza's development.
" This is a logical connection to make, especially after The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that the Raiders are expected to show interest in Cousins. “Expect the Las Vegas Raiders to show interest in Kirk Cousins as they look for a veteran QB addition to help develop presumptive No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza,” Russini reported.