Did quarterback make strides in 2nd season?
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell had an eventful second NFL in 2024.
He lost a training-camp battle with free-agent addition Gardner Minshew (his coach Antonio Pierce now says he regretted that decision). O’Connell, a fourth-round pick then won the job back and was twice injured.
Let’s look at some key aspects of O’Connell’s career:
2024 stats:
He played in nine games with seven starts. He completed 154 passes of 243 pass attempts (63.4 percent) for 1,612 yards with eight touchdown passes and four interceptions.
2023 stats:
He played in 11 games, starting 10. He completed 213 passes on 343 pass attempts (62.1 percent) for 2,218 yards with 12 touchdown passes with seven interceptions.
2024 record as starter:
2-5.
2023 record as starter:
5-5.
Injuries:
O’Connell missed four games with a broken thumb and then missed a game with a knee injury. He was banged up in Week 18, but returned.
Lots of coaches:
O’Connell had to deal with the in-season firing of coach Josh McDaniels last season and then he saw Luke Getsy fired as offensive coordinator and him being replaced by passing game coordinator Scott Turner. That’s a lot of flux for a young quarterback to deal with.
Conclusion:
O’Connell struggled in training camp and in the preseason. He was considered the favorite to win the job, but he couldn’t separate himself from Minshew. In the end, O’Connell was better than Minshew as a starter. But he was serviceable at best. He made some mistakes and had plenty of misfires and he isn’t mobile. It seems 2024 showed that he doesn’t have a high ceiling. He may be what he is — a solid backup who you will always want to upgrade from.
