The Las Vegas Raiders are gearing up to start a new era this season.
Geno Smith, Pete Carroll, and Chip Kelly will lead the way on offense for a team that hasn’t found much momentum on that side of the field for the past couple of years.
Unfortunately, they won’t have one of their crucial backups for the starting stretch of the season.
As reported by Ian Rapoport, backup QB Aidan O’Connell is currently dealing with a fractured right wrist.
#Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist in last night’s preseason finale and he’ll be out 6-8 weeks, likely beginning the season on IR.
Story: https://t.co/jipU6InQO9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2025
As a result, he’s going to start the season on Injured Reserve (IR).
Coach Carroll revealed that he’s looking at six to eight weeks on the shelf.
Of course, O’Connell was never going to start over Geno Smith.
Then again, we’ve seen how crucial it is to have a serviceable backup.
There are no guarantees in this league, and anybody can get hurt at any given time; it’s just the nature of the game.
O’Connell started 17 games in the past couple of years for the Raiders.
He suffered the injury on his second drive of Saturday night’s preseason finale vs. the Arizona Cardinals.
He closed out the game with three completions on four attempts for 36 yards.
Then, rookie QB Cam Miller took the reins of the offense.
He’s listed as their third-string quarterback, but with O’Connell set to miss at least the first third of the season, they may want to be on the prowl for a steady backup for Smith.
The Raiders will kick off the season with a Sept. 7 date with the New England Patriots.
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