Raiders' Aidan O'Connell is Ready for His Second Chance

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell lost the offseason competition for the starting position. However, after a 2-3 start to the season, the second-year quarterback is again the team's starter.

Aug 17, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) warms up against the Dallas Cowboys at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have made a switch at quarterback and will start second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce believes spending the first few weeks of the season on the sideline benefited O’Connell. Pierce noted he has seen a few positive changes in the young quarterback.  

“Yeah, way more vocal. Just vocal, confidence,” Pierce said on Wednesday. “[He’s] out of that shell, not looking like a rookie no more, not acting like a rookie no more. He has a certain presence about himself, and it's not so outgoing where you'll just notice it. But if you've been around him enough, you know he's definitely speaking up a lot more.”

O’Connell battled with veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew II all offseason for the team’s starting quarterback position. Minshew would slightly beat out O’Connell in the end. Pierce noted how well O’Connell carried himself after Minshew was named the starting quarterback after the second preseason game.

“I love how he walks around the building," Pierce said. "Like I said, really what I respected the most is when we named Gardner [Minshew] the starter, he said, ‘Alright, I’m going to be the best scout team quarterback possible.’ And he was lighting our ass up, right? 

“Every day, he gave us the best look, and he walked around with a smile on his face. And if you remember the Baltimore game, him and Jackson [Powers-Johnson] were sitting there, rallying the troops and pumping up, and he was just a great teammate. So, all those things factor into decisions.”

After starting the final nine games of last season, O’Connell started this season as the backup quarterback. He has had over five weeks to learn as much as he can from Minshew and Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy. O’Connell explained how he got better during that time.

“I think just understanding the game more,” O’Connell said. “I think there's things I was naïve to last year, things I really didn't know that I think most people knew. And so, as a rookie, you're just behind the eight ball. You're trying to steal time any way you can. 

“And so, I think having the offseason and now going into the second year, yeah, definitely just feel comfortable being in an organization, what it means day to day, what it looks like to try to get the job done." 

It could be argued that O’Connell should have been the starting quarterback at the start of the season. However, it is also worth noting that the Raiders opened the season against some of the best defenses in the league, with many new pieces along the offensive line and a new offensive coordinator. 

None of those things would have helped O’Connell be as successful as giving him an extra few weeks to get used to Getsy’s offense and not having to play against formidable defenses. While the Steelers' defense is one of, if not the best, defense the Raiders will face this season, the Raiders have worked out at least a few of the issues on the offense. If they can return to where they were before Minshew’s first interception last week, O’Connell could help lead the Raiders to an upset on Sunday.

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