The New England Patriots unequivocally have their "guy" under center. Drake Maye led this great franchise to a Super Bowl in his first full year as the starting quarterback and should have won an MVP along the way. But having a contingency plan isn't just recommended in the NFL; it is essential.
All that is currently behind Maye on the roster is Tommy DeVito and seventh-round rookie Behren Morton. Yes, DeVito flashed with the New York Giants, and Morton showed some promise in college at Texas Tech. That's why Eliot Wolf drafted him. But the Patriots may want a better option.
After all, Super Bowl windows are fleeting. And if Maye ever goes down (knock on wood that he doesn't) or can't play for any reason, New England doesn't necessarily have a great backup plan. But the perfect one may be hiding on the all-too-familiar Las Vegas Raiders' roster.
New England Patriots should trade for Raiders backup QB Aidan O'Connell
Three-year veteran quarterback Aidan O'Connell is looking like the odd man out in Las Vegas. With Kirk Cousins serving as the present and Fernando Mendoza tabbed as the future, plus a promising UDFA quarterback in Jacob Clark on the roster, there's simply no room for O'Connell.
But Josh McDaniels drafted O'Connell back in 2023 during his infamous stint as the Raiders' head coach. And for as crazy as it seems to want a quarterback from Las Vegas, who has been devoid of an answer there for years, O'Connell will know McDaniels' system and has some skins on the wall.
O'Connell has filled in just about every role in a quarterback room that one can, outside of being the franchise guy. But the Patriots don't need to worry about him doing that. In his three NFL seasons, though, he has shown he is more than capable of being a long-term backup.
Yes, O'Connell will turn 28 just before the season starts, but he is still on his rookie deal and would be dirt cheap. Plus, he has a season's worth of starts under his belt at the NFL level, and he's gone 7-10 with 20 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 62.0% completion percentage.
Now, O'Connell has very limited mobility, and he would be a free agent in 2027, unless the Patriots signed him to an extension in somewhat of an unprecedented manner. However, even if he's just a good backup plan in New England for a year, that is probably worth a seventh-round pick.
And something tells me that McDaniels, who advocated for drafting him to Las Vegas a bit above his projections those years ago, would push for O'Connell to stick around on a cheap deal in the years that follow. He's a pro's pro and a great locker room guy, plus, he just does what coaches ask of him.
This may not be an "exciting" option, or one that fans have given much thought to. But O'Connell could probably beat out DeVito and Morton and execute McDaniels' system in a pinch much better than they could.
For that reason, the Patriots should continue their Las Vegas to New England pipeline. It brought them Robert Spillane and K'Lavon Chaisson in the past, and it could bring them a viable backup quarterback solution this time around.
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