Raiders' Maxx Crosby Talks Aidan O'Connell's Progression as a Competitor

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell is becoming more comfortable as one of the primary voices on the Raiders' offense.

Dec 31, 2023; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (4) passes the ball in the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Las Vegas Raiders all-pro defensive end Maxx Crosby knows a competitor when he sees one, as he embodies everything a competitor stands for.

His teammate, quarterback Aidan O'Connell, enters just his second NFL season, having been experienced with carrying the mantle as the starting quarterback. With every great quarterback throughout history, there was an edge. As the offseason continues to progress, Crosby is seeing that competitive mindset beginning to develop within O'Connell.

"Aidan has come a long way," Crosby told reporters on Tuesday. "Like I said, it's the offseason, so you take everything with a grain of salt, but just seeing his maturity and seeing how he's starting to talk back, talk some s--- back, and I encourage it. It's like that's what I want him to do. The best of the best, they're ultimate competitors. The [Patrick] Mahomes, the -- back in the day -- the [Tom] Bradys, the Payton Mannings, the guys like that, they were always jawing back and forth and standing up. At the end of the day, you show a little bit of weakness, people are going to hop all over that, so for him, seeing him kind of come back at us, it's awesome to see."

O'Connell had to quickly adjust from being merely a rookie backup to being the leader of the offense last season, making 10 starts, including the Raiders' final nine games of the season when Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was at the helm as interim head coach.

That experience prepared him for the challenge he faces this offseason, and that is battling with veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew for the starting role. Considering what Crosby said, it seems O'Connell has embraced that competitiveness, which should be promising for fans who want a starting quarterback they can rely on game in and game out.

A lot of the outside noise has focused on the Raiders' quarterback room this offseason, and much of it is negative. You can be sure, though, that whoever Coach Pierce decides to start at quarterback in Week 1 is going to be more than ready to lead the Silver and Black's offense into battle.

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