Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell has a big fan in former teammate

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell is set to embark on a crucial season, as not only does he have to beat out veteran Gardner Minshew for the starting job, he has to show the team he is the long-term solution once he gets it.

O'Connell is no doubt the more intriguing option of the two because we simply do not know what he's going to be at his peak after just one season. He could take a huge leap and cement himself as the franchise quarterback, or go in the opposite direction.

What we do know about O'Connell is he showed growth down the stretch run of last season, which gives hope for the former scenario. His former teammate and quarterback Brian Hoyer touched on O'Connell's growth recently.

"At the beginning of the year, he was third on the depth chart and then he ended up finishing the entire year," Hoyer said of O'Connell on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Amber Theoharis . "I thought, to see his growth and what he was able to do as a fourth-round pick, was tremendous."

But O'Connell didn't just grow with his play on the field, he also became more of a leader and earned the respect of his teammates.

"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.

Unfortunately, we really don't have any clarity as far as who is winning the battle between Minshew and O'Connell, as both quarterbacks struggled during spring practices.

Look for this competition to stretch into the preseason as both signal-callers try to establish themselves as the clear-cut best choice for the Raiders under center.