Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell is making strides at minicamp (and the offseason in general), but he’ll need to become a vocal leader in order to get to another level.
As a rookie, it was only natural for O’Connell to take a backseat and learn from the veterans around him. He also had the benefit of sitting behind Jimmy Garoppolo until it was time to step up, until then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce needed him to. In retrospect, O’Connell had to sink or swim—far from the optimal situation you would wish for a signal-caller. Under center, the Purdue product saw both the Raiders score zero and 63 points; it can only go up from there, right?
What is Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby saying about Aidan O’Connell?
Maxx Crosby understands the aforementioned vocal aspect of being an NFL quarterback. Let’s face it, he plays against some of the best every week. While responding to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Crosby shared some insight into what he’s seeing from O’Connell this offseason.
“Aidan has come a long way. He’s starting to talk some s**t back. I encourage it. That’s what I want him to do. The best of the best—the Mahomes, the Brady’s—always jawing back and forth and standing up.”
We probably shouldn’t get used to hearing O’Connell curse profanity; he’s a man of God, after all. Even so, that doesn’t mean he won’t talk trash—he’s an NFL quarterback now. He has to take command of the field, and he most certainly can’t allow opponents to think he won’t respond or that he’ll be intimidated. Speaking of being on the field, Raiders teammate Nate Hobbs shared an interesting tidbit, one worthy of note considering he’s one of the best nickel corners.
“AOC had a hell of a day today. Even as a teammate, he threw some balls I forgot he could make.”
It’s just one day of minicamp, but if what Hobbs and Crosby are saying about O’Connell holds weight, maybe there’s something amiss. Is it possible O’Connell is already winning the starting job? Then again, we still have a ways to go before the preseason.
