The Detroit Lions had an amazing season in 2024. With the best record in the NFC and home-field advantage in the playoffs, many believed the Lions had a legitimate chance to reach the Super Bowl. Of course, that didn’t happen as they were upset in the divisional round by the Washington Commanders.
Fans have been left to pick up the pieces and wonder what could have been. While some have their own conspiracy theories that may have played out before Ben Johnson became head coach of the Chicago Bears, others may point to the lack of depth that saw 13 defensive players end the year on injured reserve.
While those injuries directly affected the defense, depth is something the Lions should consider when putting together their roster for this season. Many of the holes have already been filled, but there’s still an avenue to make a trade to provide a veteran quarterback behind Jared Goff.
Lions Should Consider Trade for Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell
The Lions' backup quarterback situation is one of the biggest questions ahead of training camp. Goff is firmly established as Detroit’s franchise quarterback but 2023 third-round pick Hendon Hooker didn’t take a step forward in his sophomore year.
The Lions also signed Kyle Allen to provide competition, but he has been a mixed bag when called upon, posting a 7-12 record as a starter and an 82.3 passer rating over his seven-year career.
Detroit shouldn’t be looking for upside with the backup quarterback position. But they’ll need someone to keep the house from burning down if Goff suffers a season-altering or season-ending injury. With that in mind, they might be looking for a backup quarterback toward the end of training camp, and should consider Aidan O’Connell.
O’Connell was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Josh McDaniels regime in Las Vegas. His tenure carried over into Antonio Pierce’s one season as head coach and he had ample opportunity to start in both seasons.
A 7-10 career record isn’t that far off from the one Allen has posted during his career, but he’s also taken care of the football with a 1.9% interception rate to go with 3,830 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
The other factor is that O’Connell may be available as Pete Carroll takes over as head coach. Carroll brought in his former quarterback Geno Smith, in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, and O’Connell could wind up on the trade block if the staff would rather invest time in 2025 sixth-round draft pick Cam Miller.
It sounds simple, but finding a quarterback who can make the right decision in the right moment is something Detroit should be looking for. Goff has been able to do that for the Lions, taking advantage of elite weapons such as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams and it will be something they hope Hooker or Allen can grasp during training camp.
If the current duo isn’t able to do that, it may be worth giving up the late-round pick to bring O’Connell to Detroit.