Aidan O'Connell has enjoyed a circuitous journey as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. Every year, he's seemingly been in the mix no matter who is occupying the other spots in Las Vegas' quarterback room. Early in the Klint Kubiak era, however, he has seemingly found another level.
Kubiak warned the NFL world not to sleep on O'Connell as the Raiders' potential starter to begin the 2026 NFL season, and although that is probably still too rich a statement, it is a testament to how well he has played to begin the offseason. Reporters noted this development as well during OTAs.
But only one player can be the quarterback for the Silver and Black, and the overwhelming odds are still that Fernando Mendoza or Kirk Cousins will be under center in Week 1. That said, the latter was eager to co-sign all of the O'Connell hype that has been running rampant lately.
Kirk Cousins thinks the world of Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell
Oddly enough, just minutes after O'Connell took the podium on Tuesday and told Las Vegas reporters that he wants to be a long-time starting quarterback in the NFL, wherever that is, Cousins met with the media and had no shortage of great things to say about the fourth-year pro.
"With Aidan having been here, there's a lot I can learn from Aidan about how things work here," Cousins said. "And he's just very bright. I really believe strongly that Aidan's best football in this league is ahead of him. And if you know my story, you know my fourth year in the league was when everything kind of turned for me. And Aiden's in his fourth year now. And I've seen a lot of quarterbacks come through Washington, Minnesota, Atlanta. I've observed a lot. There were eight guys in my draft class who were all kind of expected to have great careers. So, I've followed guys for a long time. And there's a lot about Aiden O'Connell where I say, 'Why can't this guy have a long successful career in this league?' Like, I'm just seeing all the traits that you have to have to be a great player in this league. So, I think he's got a bright future and his best football's ahead of him."
That is some serious, serious praise. O'Connell tends to play well in the offseason as a smart guy who picks up offenses quickly, and he doesn't have to deal with the threat of being sacked or getting hit. But it seems like an entirely new ballgame for him in terms of the offseason hype he's received.
O'Connell must seriously be impressing to have Cousins gushing about him like this. Now, Cousins is a complimentary and positive person by nature, but the question was about what Cousins has learned from the Raiders' young quarterbacks. He went a bit off script to give O'Connell his flowers.
People may be wondering, then, if O'Connell is so promising, why did Las Vegas go out and add two quarterbacks to the room this offseason? Why is Raider Nation so split on him, if this enticing future is so obvious to Cousins after just a few months of working with him?
Well, O'Connell hasn't had the same head coach two years in a row since entering the NFL, and he's dealt with now seven different play-callers before his fourth season. Any young quarterback would struggle under these circumstances and leave plenty to be desired on the field.
Cousins was reminded of O'Connell's plight with instability in Las Vegas early in his NFL career, and the veteran quarterback, of course, spun it into a positive for his younger counterpart.
"It's unbelievable. It's ridiculous. It's hard," Cousins said. "And then the flip side, when you look at a lot of quarterbacks who have had very unique success in this league, there tends to be some real consistency with systems and coaches and familiarity, and they're able to play without having to think. And so, pretty impressive that Aiden's on his, whatever it is number head coach, number coordinator, and he is able to operate that quickly running the system and knowing what to do. And I think Klint sees that, [OC Andew] Janocko sees that. So, he's doing a great job. But yeah, once he can get with somebody where they can kind of be consistent with that, I think that's also going to really help his and anyone's development."
Obviously, Cousins is right. Does that mean that O'Connell will follow in his footsteps and make boatloads of money in this league? Probably not, but who knows? The bottom line is that, while the O'Connell hype is running rampant, it is not manufactured. It's authentic. Cousins' co-sign proves that.
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