Aidan O’Connell
The second-year quarterback from Purdue University, O’Connell, should be the Raiders’ starting quarterback in 2024 if the team wants to build and find its franchise QB.
Not only did he fill in admirably for a Raiders team in the midst of a chaotic 2023 campaign, but Pierce may have him to thank for getting the full-time head coaching gig. Without O’Connell’s steady performance in the second half of the season, the Raiders could have flamed out and started over with a brand-new staff. But they did not.
The quarterback spearheaded a Raiders team that finished the year 5-4 including signature wins over each of their AFC West counterparts. The O’Connell-led Raiders are still the last team to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, and they set a franchise scoring record during a battle with the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
He saw action in 11 games for the Silver and Black, completing 62% of his passes for 2,218 yards and 12 touchdowns. He limited his interceptions to only seven on 343 attempts, as well.
Perhaps more impressive is that he finished the last four games of the year with eight touchdowns and no interceptions, averaging roughly 215 passing yards a game. The team went 3-1 during this stretch with all three wins coming against the aforementioned divisional opponents.
Yes, he was sacked 24 times last season, but seven of those came in a single game, which was his first career NFL start. He was only sacked seven times in the last four games combined, and this was against multiple elite pass rushes.
O’Connell also led a game-winning drive against the New York Jets last season, which some consider to be the AFC’s best defense.
His interception percentage was lower than the league average and better than Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Brock Purdy. He was also better than the league average in sack percentage, besting mobile quarterbacks Justin Fields and Lamar Jackson.
O’Connell also built a rapport last season with several of the key pieces on the Raiders’ offense this year. Davante Adams was a huge supporter of his during the latter half of 2023, and he and Tre Tucker trained together all offseason.
Simply put, for a fourth-round rookie who began the year behind Brian Hoyer, O’Connell played commendably. He has his shortcomings athletically, but he is still a young player with a bit of upside and could easily turn into the Raiders’ franchise quarterback.
He’ll only be 26 by the beginning of the season and his best football could be ahead of him. Not starting him could potentially stunt his growth and leave the franchise in the same position it has been for years: stuck in QB purgatory.