The Las Vegas Raiders drafted Aidan O'Connell out of Purdue in 2023 with a fourth-round pick, in hopes that he'd be able to materialize into a starter for them one day. The Raider's 2023 season was turbulent, to say the least, which resulted in him seeing a lot of playing time as a rookie.
Though only playing in 11 games as a rookie, he threw for 2,218 yards and 12 touchdowns, with seven interceptions. He got sacked 24 times and though he demonstrated flashes of a starting-caliber quarterback, his rookie season wasn't anything spectacular.
Heading into 2024, O'Connell had a chance to be the starter for the entire season but lost the quarterback competition in training camp to Gardner Minshew, who the Raiders brought in from free agency.
This is where I believe the Raiders made an error in judgment. Minshew may have shown more talent and poise which led to him becoming their starting quarterback for the 2024 season, but what he didn't have was the potential to develop into a better player.
Theoretically, Minshew may have given the Raiders an increased chance of winning games, but in the long run, all they did was shirk O'Connell's development in lieu of a journeyman quarterback who will leave no lasting impact on the franchise.
Though Minshew started off the season as the starter, he eventually got benched due to it being clear that the Raiders were in no position to win games. In 2024 he played nine games and threw for 1,612 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions, as well as being sacked ten times.
For 2025 and beyond, the Raiders are locked in on Geno Smith, as is evident from them giving him a big contract extension. What does this mean for O'Connell's future with the team and his development?
He's under contract for two more years, I don't think they'll move off of him in that time. He's projected to be the backup for Smith, and while I do think he could excel in that role, even that isn't guaranteed for him.
The Raiders may use one of their late-round picks to draft a quarterback, which puts his position on the depth chart in even more jeopardy. It's even possible they draft Shedeur Sanders with their high draft pick, which would eliminate any chance of O'Connell being anything more than a backup for the Raiders.
He was just a fourth-round pick so it may be unfair to place expectations on him past being a backup, but it felt as if he still had potential for him to develop into something more. He'll most likely be their backup for the next two years, but after that who knows if the Raiders retain him or let him walk in free agency, O'Connell may never get another chance to be starting quarterback in the NFL again.
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