The first day of Atlanta Falcons training camp was pretty uneventful.
Well, other than Michael Penix Jr. telling reporters that he could be out for another month, Tua Tagovailoa suddenly being sidelined with an injury flare-up, Trevor Siemian being cut and instantly replaced by veteran journeyman Cooper Rush and UDFA QB Jack Strand taking 1st-team reps.
Just another day at the office, right?
Unfortunately, the Falcons' quarterback issues aren't going away, either. Penix Jr. and Tagovailoa each have wicked injury histories already, and the two can't coexist longer than the 2026 NFL season. So, while Atlanta needs to figure out the future under center, they also need a plan for a long-term No. 2.
Luckily for them, a solid contributor may soon be deemed expendable by the Las Vegas Raiders: Aidan O'Connell. After old friend Kirk Cousins joined the Silver and Black alongside Fernando Mendoza, it became clear that O'Connell is neither the present nor the future in Sin City.
So, a low-stakes trade should be on the table for the Dirty Birds if this quarterback turmoil doesn't subside.
Falcons may need to call Raiders about Aidan O'Connell if QB issues aren't resolved
Look, O'Connell is no superstar. There's a reason that the Raiders will probably look to shop him soon, especially if Mendoza continues to stack good days at training camp in Las Vegas. But O'Connell has 17 starts under his belt and solid production, and he is a smart and team-first player to add to a room.
Entering his fourth NFL season, O'Connell is now on his fourth different head coach and fifth different offensive play-caller. While he is hardly to blame for this incredible instability, he has learned so much about football from being thrust into different schemes over the years. He's adaptable.
And in 21 career appearances, he has completed 62.0% of his passes for 3,932 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while adding two touchdowns on the ground. Now, both of these came on sneaks, and O'Connell isn't very mobile, as evidenced by 35 career sacks taken.
But as far as a backup goes, he could keep Kevin Stefanski's offense afloat in a bind if Penix Jr. or Tagovailoa go down, and history, unfortunately, tells us that they will. Falcons assistant defensive backs and nickel coach Ricky Manning was in Las Vegas in 2024, so he can be a character witness.
It wouldn't cost Ian Cunningham much to pry O'Connell from the Raiders' hands, as they have no real use for the former fourth-rounder out of Purdue. A late Day 3 pick or late-round pick swap would probably do the trick, and Atlanta can certainly pay that price.
Obviously, nothing needs to be done right now. Perhaps Penix Jr. is back before the allotted four weeks and Tua's injury flare-up goes away. Maybe Rush even has some juice left. But O'Connell would be an intriguing piece to bring into this quarterback room, both for now and the future.
Atlanta could do way worse, let's just say that.
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