Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell More Confident in Second Stint as QB1

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell is ready to be the starter in Week 6. Building relationships with his teammates and time on the scout team has helped him in his second season with the Silver and Black.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) warms up prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

With the Las Vegas Raiders sitting at 2-3 after five games and the offense not consistently putting drives together, the Raiders made a quarterback change heading into Week 6. Las Vegas will be looking for a new spark with second-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell.

O'Connell was named starter last year once Antonio Pierce took over as head coach. He went 5-4 in his nine starts down the stretch last season.

Coming into this season, O'Connell was the favorite to win the full-time starting job but eventually lost the quarterback competition to veteran Gardner Minshew II, who the Raiders signed in free agency. O'Connell is ready for this opportunity, and we will see if he can give this Raider team the boost it needs starting in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"I was told recently, but it does not change honestly, just trying to prepare each day like I have been the starter," O'Connell said about earning the starting job. " Just trying to do my best to put myself in a good position, so I am just going to keep trying to do that.

Fortunately for O'Connell and the Raiders, he is familiar with this role.

"It is somewhat similar," O'Connell said. "Obviously, different in a lot of scenarios. Coming in, in the middle of the year, definitely happy for the experience last year to kind of build off that."

The Raiders have confidence in O'Connell to come in and play well. He has prepared each week just as he would if he had been the starter before.

"Honestly, on the scout team, you could get a lot of great reps," O'Connell said. "You are going up the one defense every day. So, I try to use every day on the scout time to try to better myself. Try to better myself. Try to challenge myself as well as the guys around me. Any chance I get to better myself on the practice field I am going to do my best to do that."

O'Connell is feeling more comfortable in his second season with the the team.

"Not only do I know my teammates better, a lot of them are my friends now," he said. "Getting to know them better and having that relationship helps me be more vocal. And to encourage guys in every way, by my actions, by words. Encouraging my teammates."

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