The Las Vegas Raiders don’t seem entirely sold on Aidan O’Connell, which is why they signed Gardner Minshew and apparently want to add another quarterback in the NFL Draft.
But that doesn’t seem to bother O’Connell.
As a matter of fact, it’s all O’Connell really knows.
“I have had to compete my whole life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” O’Connell told Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “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.”
O’Connell, who played his collegiate football at Purdue, was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the NFL Draft last spring.
He began his rookie campaign as the backup to Jimmy Garoppolo, but eventually usurped Garoppolo as the starter midway through the season.
In 11 games and 10 starts, O’Connell threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 62.1 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 83.9.
The 25-year-old was particularly impressive over his final four games, when he totaled eight passing touchdowns and no picks.
As of right now, O’Connell is probably No. 1 on Las Vegas’ depth chart, but with Minshew on board and a potential rookie quarterback coming into play later this month, he will absolutely have to fight for his starting job in training camp.
We’ll see if Aidan O’Connell emerges victorious once Week 1 arrives.
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