“Front office is committing terrorism” – Raiders signing ex-Cardinal Desmond Ridder to replace injured Aidan O’Connell draws wild reactions on social media

Antonio Pierce has decided to gamble on former Falcons and Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder as the replacement for Aidan O'Connell, who injured his thumb in Week 7 loss.

“Front office is committing terrorism” – Raiders signing ex-Cardinal Desmond Ridder to replace injured Aidan O’Connell draws wild reactions on social media

Desmond Ridder and Aidan O'Connell (Image via IMAGO)

Antonio Pierce has found his Aidan O’Connell replacement in the form of Desmond Ridder. According to reports, the Las Vegas Raiders are signing Ridder from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.

During the Raiders’ 15-20 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, O’Connell injured his thumb on his throwing arm, and until it heals, he will face trouble gripping it properly. The loss left Pierce’s side with a 2-5 record and one quarterback short.

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The following day, The Athletic’s Tashan Reed shared on X (previously Twitter) that the Raiders signed Desmond Ridder from the Cardinals practice squad.

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NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero later confirmed it through another post.

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Football fans left divided by the Raiders signing of Desmond Ridder

Ridder spent the first two seasons of his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons after they drafted him in the third round in 2022. He posted a win record of 8-9 in 17 games in Atlanta.

Front office is committing terrorism Raiders signing ex-Cardinal Desmond Ridder to replace injured Aidan O'Connell draws wild reactions on social media
Desmond Ridder (Image via ESPN)

The Cincinnati graduate completed 322 passes from 522 attempts for 3544 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He’s also very efficient with his legs, covering 257 yards from 69 tries and 5 scores. Reed pointed out that Ridder had a 64.2% completion rate in 2023.

However, he failed to mention that the Falcons, run by current Steelers OC Arthur Smith then, benched Ridder twice while shuffling between him and Taylor Heinicke. Ridder had a bad habit of taking too many sacks (41), fumbling (12), and losing (7 most in 2023) the ball a lot. Pierce signing the former Bearcat drew confused and mixed reactions from fans on social media.

The Falcons traded Ridder to the Cardinals in exchange for wide receiver Rondale Moore. He was expected to be the backup to Kyler Murray but lost the battle to Clayton Tune and dropped to the practice squad.

As for the Raiders, there’s no set date for O’Connell’s return, but he will be out at least the next two weeks. Gardner Minshew will most likely be the full-time starter. The former Eagle and Colt took turns with O’Connell in the Rams game.

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Minshew has started four games in 2024, completing 114 passes for 1168 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. The Raiders’ next game is against the Chiefs, who haven’t lost a single game in the league since losing to Pierce’s team in Christmas.