Raiders HC: Aidan O’Connell ‘earned the right’ to compete for starting QB job

Of the many teams potentially looking for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders are one of them.

However, with second-year QB Aidan O’Connell already on the roster and signing veteran Gardner Minshew, the Raiders don’t have to take a signal-caller with the 13th overall pick. 

After starting 13 games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2023, it would make sense if the Raiders leaned on Minshew’s experience next season, but O’Connell has 10 games of starting experience under Antonio Pierce, who gave the 2023 fourth-round pick a ringing endorsement over the weekend in an interview with NFL Network.

“At the end of the day, listen, Aidan O'Connell played his [expletive] off,” Pierce said, via NFL.com. “He did a hell of a job for us. You're talking about a kid that has the mental toughness to play in the National Football League. Whatever happens and whatever we do, it has to go through Aidan O'Connell. [I’m] being honest with you, because he's earned that right.”

O’Connell, 25, went 5-5 as the Raiders starter after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with an injury. He completed 62.1% of his passes for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions with an 83.9 passer rating.

He ranked second among rookie QBs in touchdowns and passing yards per game (201.6) behind Houston’s C.J. Stroud (23, 273.9) and third in passing yards behind Stroud (4,108) and Carolina’s Bryce Young (2,877).

While he showed signs of improvement the more he played, some still have doubts about whether or not O’Connell is a legit starting NFL quarterback, which is why several draft gurus believe the Raiders could target a QB with the No. 13 overall pick in next month’s draft.

While USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy are all expected to be off the board by the time the Raiders are on the clock, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix could be potential options for them.