The Las Vegas Raiders are currently employing Aidan O’Connell at quarterback, but before the Raiders drafted O’Connell last spring, there was another signal-caller that wide receiver Davante Adams wanted.

Houston Texans star C.J. Stroud.

Stroud was taken with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, but prior to that, the Raiders had been attempting to trade for the top selection.

The Chicago Bears ended up trading the No. 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers, who ultimately took fellow quarterback Bryce Young.

But if Las Vegas would have won the sweepstakes, Adams was hoping Stroud would be the guy.

“He may be No. 1, I don’t know,” Adams said of Stroud when asked about which quarterback he’d like to play with during an appearance on Two G’s in a Pod. “That was somebody I was campaigning for coming out. … I was not pro-rookie across the board … that was the guy I felt strongly about and he felt the same way.”

Of course, there is no guarantee that the Raiders would have taken Stroud if they landed the No. 1 pick. They may very well have taken Young like the Panthers did. As a matter of fact, Vic Tafur of The Athletic says that that is what they would have done.

It’s all a moot point now, anyway. Stroud has instantly become the face of the Texans’ franchise, and Las Vegas is still trying to figure things out under center.

The Raiders took O’Connell in the fourth round last year, and he ultimately took over as the club’s starting signal-caller midway through his rookie campaign. He certainly had his ups and downs, but he did show some promise, particularly over his last four games when he totaled eight passing touchdowns and no interceptions.

Perhaps Davante Adams will end up pretty satisfied that O’Connell is the team’s quarterback down the line.

Las Vegas went 8-9 this season.

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