Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell Plans to Remain Vocal This Season

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell did not win the team's offseason quarterback battle. However, he plans to remain vocal in practices this upcoming season.

Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

Las Vegas Raiders second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell recently learned that he will start the season as the team’s backup quarterback after guiding the team to a 5-4 record over the final nine games of last season. The decision came after a months-long competition with veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

It is natural for any professional player to take losing a competition for the starting position hard; O’Connell has instead begun focusing on improving his game, as the Raiders will likely need him at some point this season. 

“I think, really trying to master the offense, I think is a big thing for me,” O’Connell said following the team’s practice at Allegiant Stadium Tuesday. “Obviously, with the new offense, I think, speeding up reads, speeding up my tempo, but also knowing when to slow down. Just have a good process on each play. It’s play-to-play dependent. Every situation is a new one. So, just trying each play to execute the best that I can.

“There's a lot of plays. There are so many good and bad that we’ve run. We’ve run a lot of plays since we reported for camp, even back to [Organized Team Activities]. So, you just try to bank them and keep moving forward. I think the best teacher is experience, and to be able to have those experiences is definitely helpful.”

One of the areas O’Connell improved in the most this offseason was being more vocal. Even though he is not the starting quarterback as the season gets ready to start, O’Connell said he plans to continue being just as vocal as he was during the offseason practices and training camp. 

“For sure,” he said. “I think whoever the quarterback is, they need to be vocal. We need to help the guys. Normally, in practice, especially if you’re the backup, you’re standing there a lot, and so, you’re getting a lot of mental reps. The other guys are running around all practice, blocking, running routes, running the ball, whatever it might be. I feel like I have a lot of energy to be able to talk, communicate, and try to lead guys. So, I’ll definitely try to continue to do that.”

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