With a few impressive preseason games, rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell quickly gained the respect of the fans. However, few people realized that he would get the opportunity to start for the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2023 NFL season.
O’Connell was chosen to start the remaining games when Mark Davis severed relations with former head coach Josh McDaniels, and he performed admirably, winning a couple of close games. O’Connell led the Raiders to win in the regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos with a strong 244-yard, two-touchdown effort.
Despite missing the playoffs once more, Las Vegas made significant progress on both sides of the ball, and O’Connell undoubtedly established his worth on the squad. O’Connell proved himself quickly under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, and the former fourth-round pick lived up to his confidence.
O’Connell had to consider his future with the squad, though, since Pierce’s tenure as head coach was far from assured.
“The past few weeks have undoubtedly been hectic,” O’Connell remarked. “Rookie season is demanding and drawn out. It was clearly a little crazy given everything that went down. But as I mentioned, I’m just incredibly grateful for the chance to participate. I attempted to take advantage of the chance because not many guys get to experience it. however, I could feel AP’s and my teammates’ support. I have no control over the future, so we’ll see what occurs. But once more, I’m just happy of our men and more so, thinking back on the season.
Although Davis apparently has his sights set on several well-known head coaching free agents, Pierce made a compelling case for himself to be the head coach of Las Vegas. Given that O’Connell wasn’t drafted by the current administration, it could be terrible news for him if Pierce doesn’t win the position.
Fans will have to wait and watch what the silver and black do in the offseason for the time being.
O’Connell showed himself to be a reliable Jimmy Garoppolo backup, but the Raiders will undoubtedly be examining the quarterback prospects in the highly anticipated class of the 2024 NFL Draft. If Las Vegas stays at No. 13, they will miss out on players like Caleb Williams of USC and Drake Maye of UNC, but some, like Kelechi Osemele, think the team should target Michael Penix Jr. of Washington.
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