Raiders' Aidan O’Connell issues challenge to possible rookie QB

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell seems to understand the team could either select a rookie signal-caller with the 13th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft or move up in the draft order with a quarterback in mind. 

O’Connell essentially issued a challenge to that unknown first-year pro via recent comments shared by Vic Tafur of The Athletic on Thursday. 

"I have had to compete my whole life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way," O’Connell explained. "The NFL is the best of the best, and you have to earn everything every year. That’s the way it should be. It’s my job to keep my job. It doesn’t really matter who they bring in."

The Raiders selected O’Connell in the fourth round of last year's draft and planned to sit him behind veteran Jimmy Garoppolo for at least a season. 

Garoppolo's poor play and his injury issues resulted in then-Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce naming O’Connell the team's full-time QB1 on Nov. 1, but Las Vegas subsequently signed veteran Gardner Minshew in free agency presumably to have Minshew compete with O’Connell.

It was then reported this week that Raiders owner Mark Davis has "given his blessing for" Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco "to make a move, any move... so long as it makes sense" regarding the upcoming draft. 

Tafur wrote that the Raiders "would like to trade up" from the 13th pick, and some think Las Vegas could jump to choice No. 4 to grab either Jayden Daniels (LSU), Drake Maye (North Carolina) or J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) depending on who is available. The Raiders could also target Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix of Oregon at No. 13. 

Las Vegas may be searching for a QB1 with more mobility than what O’Connell flashed this past season. 

"My job is to get the ball to our talented playmakers, and that can mean sliding over and buying yourself a couple of seconds," O’Connell said about his footwork. "The NFL game is extremely fast, and I have to be quick with my decision-making and getting the ball out. And while I am not going to win any foot races, I have to be able to get a couple of yards for a first down if the opportunity presents itself."

Penix, Nix and even Maye could prove to be projects who have to sit behind somebody such as O’Connell for a campaign before they're ready to face live NFL defenses. 

While reports suggest the Raiders are planning for life beyond O’Connell's tenure with the organization, he must focus on winning what seems to be an inevitable summer competition.