The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a major injury blow in their preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday - one that reportedly has the team scouring the trade market.
While arguably their most important player, quarterback Geno Smith, made it to Week 1 unscathed, the same can't be said for his backup, Aidan O'Connell.
The 26-year-old former fourth-round pick played in all three preseason games, totaling 379 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions, but he suffered a fractured wrist against the Cardinals on Saturday, sidelining him for 6-8 weeks, according to multiple reports.
With O'Connell shelved for a significant part of Vegas' season, the team will likely want more insurance behind Smith, who threw for 4,320 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions with the Seattle Seahawks last season.
While there will likely be several QBs available via trade-Atlanta's Kirk Cousins, one of the Cleveland Browns' four passers, New York's Jameis Winston, Los Angeles' Taylor Heinicke, just to name a few-one Raiders insider believes the team could actually look to the free-agent market to find what it's looking for.
"@Raiders coach Pete Carroll said the club will seek to acquire a veteran QB with playing experience to fill O'Connell's role. They will look at all markets. (Ryan Tannehill could be a possibility)," Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote on X.
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Tannehill, a former Pro Bowler and 2019 Comeback Player of the Year, didn't play last season after being released by the Tennessee Titans after the 2023 season in favor of Will Levis.
But Tannehill's five seasons in Tennessee were some of the most productive of his career. The 37-year-old threw for 14,447 yards, 93 touchdowns, and 40 interceptions while going 39-24 as the starter and leading the Titans to three playoff appearances, two division titles, one AFC Championship Game appearance, and the No. 1 seed in the AFC in 201.
Of the QBs available on the free-agent market, Tannehill is the most experienced and likely fits more of what Vegas is looking for compared to others like Tyler Huntley, C.J. Beathard, and Brett Rypien.
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