Former Raiders QB Doesn’t Hold Back On Aidan O’Connell

The Las Vegas Raiders still aren’t sure if Aidan O’Connell is the answer at quarterback, but apparently, his teammates really like him.

Now-former Raiders quarterback Brian Hoyer, who played with O’Connell last season, says that O’Connell displayed some terrific leadership skills during his rookie campaign.

“Maybe I’m biased, but I think what Aidan did last year — I know he hasn’t shown it as much as Gardner Minshew has throughout his career — but I know the guys really gravitated to the way Aidan took over and his leadership as a young player,” Hoyer said on SiriusXM NFL Radio .

O’Connell took over as Las Vegas’ starter midway through 2023 and ended up throwing for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 62.1 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 83.9 in 11 appearances and 10 starts.

“At the beginning of the year, he was third on the depth chart and then he ended up finishing the entire year,” Hoyer said. “I thought, to see his growth and what he was able to do as a fourth-round pick, was tremendous.”

Can Aidan O’Connell establish himself as the Raiders’ franchise quarterback?

O’Connell showed flashes last season, particularly over the last four games when he totaled eight passing touchdowns and no picks.

However, the Purdue product wasn’t consistent enough to sell the Raiders on him as their franchise quarterback—or even their starter for 2024—just yet. That’s why Las Vegas signed Gardner Minshew in free agency, and that’s also why there were rumors that the Raiders were trying to trade up in the NFL Draft.

Even head coach Antonio Pierce alluded to the fact that Las Vegas is still searching for that guy under center this offseason. While that isn’t necessarily an indictment on O’Connell, it does demonstrate that he has a long way to go before his job is safe.

The good news is that O’Connell has been maintaining the right attitude through all of this, and as Hoyer indicated, his teammates have taken notice.

O’Connell probably holds the edge over Minshew heading into training camp, but it’s definitely important for the second-year signal-caller to get off to a strong start in September. If he struggles out of the gate, Minshew could very well end up supplanting him.

The Raiders went 8-9 in 2023 and certainly don’t resemble playoff contenders heading into 2024.

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