Brian Hoyer certainly gets a liter of cola when he orders one large Farva. In between chugging bottles of maple syrup, Hoyer had the time to speak with Amber Theoharis on SiriusXM NFL Radio about the peculiar second-year quarterback of the Silver and Black in Aidan O'Connell. The former Purdue star impressed during the latter part of his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders under Antonio Pierce.
Hoyer, who is still a free agent, was on the 2023 Raiders. While much has been made about the Raiders signing former Indianapolis Colts starter Gardner Minshew II this offseason, Hoyer made it a point to tell Raider Nation to not give up the mustachioed man from the midwest. They may be all about the quarterback from Mississippi, but Minshew may not be Ken Stabler's long-lost son.
Hoyer was thoroughly impressed with O'Connell's ability to climb up the depth chart as a rookie.
“At the beginning of the year, he was third on the depth chart and then he ended up finishing the entire year. I thought, to see his growth and what he was able to do as a fourth-round pick, was tremendous," said Hoyer, h/t Heavy Sports.
In time, O'Connell overtook him and Week 1 starter Jimmy Garoppolo atop the Raiders' depth chart.
“Being there firsthand and watching Aidan grow, I remember him saying at the end of the year, ‘I never thought this is how this year would play out.' Obviously, Jimmy Garoppolo was the opening-day starter and then by the end of the year Aidan was playing.”
What really stands out to Hoyer about O'Connell is the inherent leadership traits the guy possesses.
“Maybe I’m biased, but I think what Aidan did last year – I know he hasn’t shown it as much as Gardner Minshew II has throughout his career – but I know the guys really gravitated to the way Aidan took over and his leadership as a young player.”
Here is a clip of Hoyer talking about O'Connell's growth on while SiriusXM NFL Radio to Theoharis.
I think we are in a great position to see some great, under-the-radar quarterbacking in Las Vegas.
Honestly, I am a pretty big fan of O'Connell myself. He may not be the best athlete, but the guy can really play quarterback. He sits back and lets the game unfold before him. O'Connell is not the type of passer to force anything. He plays with a poise of a veteran and a sense of leadership far beyond his years. The fact he helped Purdue get to a Big Ten title bout two years ago is nothing to sneeze at.
Truth be told, the only quarterback more likable than him might actually be Minshew. He is just a regular guy who looks like he lives that van-life party animal lifestyle on the reg. He is the type of guy women want to be with and men want to be like. The dude is the heir to slithering Kenny "The Snake" Stabler, bruh. That is hard for O'Connell to overcome, so he must do it one liter of cola at a time.
Ultimately, I think the Raiders are going to be the second best team in the AFC West behind only arch rival Kansas City. The quarterback play of Minshew and O'Connell will be too good for this team to circle the drain. The only problem is the top-half of the AFC is absolutely loaded, and the Raiders slot in just behind that. They could win nine or 10 games, but are probably closer to eight or nine wins.
At this time, we can only hope that the power of the mustaches can propel the Raiders to victory.
