Who Should I Start? Tyson Bagent or Aidan O'Connell

Friday, February 27, 2:22 PM

The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs thinks the Chicago Bears would most likely need a "second-round pick or two picks equaling that value" to make it worth their while to trade backup quarterback Tyson Bagent this offseason. Biggs also questions whether any team would actually offer a second-rounder for Bagent, who has only made four starts (all in his rookie season in 2023) in his three years in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals have been rumored as a team that could potentially trade for Bagent, and the New York Jets are another organization that might look to save money at the QB position in 2026. It's just hard to imagine any team, no matter how desperate, wanting to give up much for Bagent before they make moves in free agency and the upcoming NFL draft. If Bagent is traded, he wouldn't be guaranteed a starting role going into Week 1 and would have to win a QB competition in training camp.

Wednesday, November 19, 3:15 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Wednesday that they activated quarterback Aidan O'Connell (wrist) from Injured Reserve. O'Connell has missed all of the 2025 season to this point after suffering a fractured right wrist in the preseason. It's possible that Geno Smith's poor play could open the door for O'Connell to make starts under center for the Raiders before the end of the year, but it's unclear if that's potentially in play as early as Week 12 when the team takes on the visiting Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Kenny Pickett has been serving as Smith's backup for the first 11 weeks of the season, but O'Connell could quickly jump him on the depth chart now that he's back. The 27-year-old has a 62.6% completion rate in his two years in the NFL, throwing for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 20 games (17 starts).