The hits just keep on coming for the Las Vegas Raiders as this season just continues to get worse. The Raiders dropped their ninth straight game on Sunday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are now tied for the worst record in the NFL at 2-11. But unfortunately it was an even bigger loss for quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
In the third quarter of the loss O’Connell rolled out and was pushed by Bucs lineman Calijah Kancey after he delivered the pass. O’Connell went down and was unable to get back up, ultimately being carted off the field with his leg in an air cast.
It was a sad scene for O’Connell and the Raiders who were in a close game at the time he went down and it looks as if his season is done. While the full severity of the injury is currently unknown, the Raiders believe O’Connell suffered a season-ending knee injury, via Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports:
Sources: #Raiders fear QB Aidan O’Connell suffered a season-ending knee injury today vs Tampa Bay. He is undergoing additional testing to confirm the full severity.
But a tough year gets even tougher in Vegas as Desmond Ridder would be the next man up with four games left. pic.twitter.com/n36NQ9c9wN
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 9, 2024
This season has been one to forget for O’Connell. He narrowly lost out to Gardner Minshew in training camp for the Raiders’ starting quarterback job, and when he was named starter, went down with a fractured thumb that put him on injured reserve. And now coming off the best game of his career, he goes down once again with an even more serious knee injury that could put his availability at the start of next season in question.
The Raiders will now turn to Desmond Ridder at quarterback with both O’Connell and Minshew done for the season. Ridder has appeared in four games so far this season, throwing for 239 yards and a touchdown in those appearances. He had an 8-9 career record as a starter for the Atlanta Falcons, throwing for 3,544 yards and 14 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in his time there. He also rushed for 257 yards and another five touchdowns with the Falcons.
‘General consensus’ is Raiders are targeting Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders in draft
Quarterback remains a major need for the Raiders and the team is looking like they’ll be in position to address it in the 2025 NFL Draft. And one name has continually come up in relation to the Raiders in Colorado star Shedeur Sanders.
A Raiders insider recently noted that the ‘general consensus’ around the NFL is that if the Raiders can draft Sanders they will and that he feels confident that the franchise will be targeting him in the draft.
The post Raiders Fear Aidan O’Connell Suffered Season-Ending Leg Injury appeared first on Raiders Newswire.