O'Connell's Time as Backup QB Should Serve Him Well Moving Forward

After starting the final nine games of last season, Las Vegas Raiders second-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell rode the bench for the first five games of this season. It may have been the best thing to happen to him.

Sep 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) takes the field before the start of a game against the Carolina Panthers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders spent the offseason as one of the few teams in the National Football League with a quarterback competition going on.

Veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew II beat out quarterback Aidan O'Connell for the starting position. While Minshew may have won the quarterback competition, many surrounding the team believed it could have been won by O’Connell. Nevertheless, O'Connell started the season on the bench.

Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy believes the time watching from the sideline was valuable for O'Connell.

"I think it's always beneficial for young guys to be able to watch, yes. I mean, that part of it is real,” Getsy said. “I've experienced that now in my career, too. When young guys get to see it done and go through those processes without having to do it, there's a huge benefit in that. 

“And then there's probably a bigger benefit in being able to go out and practice that and do that and experience it yourself. So, there's definitely a benefit, whether it's more or less. I don't know the answer to that, but there's definitely a benefit. And the way that he approaches every single day, honestly, is a testament to him and why he willl be ready to go.

However, Getsy made it clear that the responsibility for the offense’s success does not fall solely on the shoulders of O’Connell. It will be up to every player on the unit to support O’Connell by playing well. 

 "Well, I think it's the responsibility of all 11 on the field to understand what the purpose of the play call is,” Getsy said. “So, there's a point of attack, there's a reason why you call a play, there's a reason why you check to the other play. And I think that's the responsibility of all 11. 

“So in that regard, I think whenever there's somebody who has particular styles of plays or things that you're trying to accomplish, I would say yes, but when you're going up against the kind of defensive front that we're about to go against, I don't think you're thinking too much about which exactly guy that's behind you. It's more about handling what's in front of you. And so most of the time they're thinking about that more than they are necessarily thinking about who is behind them."

The Raiders will move forward with O’Connell as the team’s starting quarterback. He has his experience from last season and a full offseason worth of learning Getsy’s offense and growing as a player. The Raiders hope the lessons O’Connell has learned over the last few weeks pay off.

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