On Monday, Tom Pelissero reported that former Falcons third-round pick Desmond Ridder has found a new home, signing with the Raiders following Aidan O’Connell’s injury.
A new QB in Las Vegas: The #Raiders are signing Desmond Ridder off the #Cardinals practice squad, per sources.
Aidan O’Connell is headed to injured reserve and now Ridder, the former #Falcons starter, joins Gardner Minshew in the Raiders QB room. pic.twitter.com/lz1lY0Riis
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 21, 2024
Ridder was dealt to the Cardinals this past offseason in exchange for Rondale Moore in a rare player-for-player trade after two seasons with Atlanta. Over two seasons with the Falcons, Ridder threw for 3,544 yards with 14 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and went 8-9 as a starter.
The signing comes after O’Connell fractured his thumb on Sunday in a Week 7 loss to the Rams. The injury landed him on the IR and will keep him on the sidelines for at least four weeks.
If you’re keeping track at home, the Falcons do have the Raiders on the schedule, a Week 15 Monday Night Football contest. That’s a long way away, though.
Gardner Minshew began the season as the starter, throwing for 1,168 passing yards with four touchdowns and eight interceptions. However, O’Connell started the last two games, throwing for 455 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Neither is a great choice, so there’s a world where the Falcons face Desmond Ridder in primetime. It would be ironic if the Raiders bench Minshew twice this year, with the second time being for Ridder, who was benched by Atlanta twice last year.
Minshew is undoubtedly the starter; his $15 million guaranteed contract says so at least. However, he had four turnovers on Sunday and owns a league-high 10 on the season despite not playing in every game.
His backup isn’t much safer with the football, though. Ridder started 13 games for the Falcons last year and completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
It would be a full-circle moment that Falcons fans would relish.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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