The Las Vegas Raiders have undergone no shortage of turnover on their coaching staff and roster in just a few months. Las Vegas’ front office wasted no time following their 3-14 campaign last season, which they hope will be the last of its sort for a while. They appear to be headed in the right direction.
It has been several years of questionable and failed moves on the respective parts of the multiple regimes prior to the current one. However, a productive offseason has helped undo some of the damage.
Critical Summer
This offseason, the Raiders have assembled a roster that is much better positioned to compete week in and week out. Las Vegas has struggled to do much of anything consistently well in recent years. Yet, this offseason, the Raiders have moved like an organization determined to put the past behind them.
As the Raiders inch closer to arguably their most critical training camp in many years, the roster they have put together and the work they have done on the field since make it fair to believe the improvement they seek is already taking place.
The progress Las Vegas made this offseason was apparent in Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp. Now, they hope to translate the progress made on paper onto the football field.
Over the next few weeks, we will rank the top 30 players on the Raiders’ roster. Please note that there will be no rookies on this list, as it is impossible to make the list with zero regular-season snaps.
Ranking the Raiders: No. 25, QB Aidan O’Connell
Klint Kubiak will mark the fourth head coach the Raiders have had in as many seasons. Few players have been as affected by the Raiders’ coaching instability as the offensive players drafted during that time, with even fewer as impacted as quarterback Aidan O’Connell.
O’Connell got the Raiders through a tough spot during his rookie season. Las Vegas turned to the rookie O’Connell over the second half of the 2023-24 season after firing Josh McDaniels and benching Jimmy Garoppolo. The last two seasons have been equally eventful for O’Connell.
In 2024-25, O’Connell found himself in a supposed quarterback competition with a veteran quarterback making significantly more than he did, and the results went about as one would expect in that situation. Yet, he was also playing for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
Getsy was fired after the start of the 2024 season. The Raiders would limp to a 4-13 record, while O’Connell saw inconsistent playing time. Last season, O’Connell missed most of the season due to an injury. O’Connell has endured most of the recent highs and lows the Raiders have gone through.
O’Connell is on his fourth coach and entering his fourth season in the league. He has had even more offensive coordinators during that time. Still, O’Connell has handled everything like a professional, choosing to note only the positives he has found in his unique career thus far.
“I joke I had one play caller and one head coach my entire six years at Purdue, and so I think by the law of averages, I think something like this was coming my way. Obviously, didn’t expect it to be like this, but I’ve learned no wasted years in the NFL,” O’Connell said following OTAs.
The Raiders have lost nearly 40 games in the three seasons O’Connell has been in the league. Las Vegas has especially struggled on offense. There have not been many personal or team successes worth noting since O’Connell was drafted three offseasons ago.
Still, O’Connell’s time with the Raiders has given him a crash course on life as a professional football player, at the most critical position on the field. O’Connell’s time in the league has had its ups and downs, but he believes he is a better quarterback all-around because of it.
“Even when you’re losing, even when things are hard, you can still learn a lot. And I’ve learned a lot, even last year. I only played in our last game for three quarters but learned a bunch just sitting kind of on the sideline and watching,” O’Connell said.
“Again, being able to interact with a lot of coordinators, I think, has been good for me to really learn what I like, to learn what I think is the best way to play quarterback, the best way to play football.”
O’Connell has never given the slightest bit of frustration with his time in Las Vegas. He has found a comfortable and potentially long-term backup position with the Raiders. There are few starting quarterback positions in the league, yet O’Connell could extend his career by staying in his role.
Instability has undoubtedly affected O’Connell, but he refuses to use it as an excuse, knowing no one else around him will either.
“And so, it really is, you can complain about it, I really realize people really don’t care about that very much, like people talk about a little bit having a lot of coordinators or coaches, but if I go out there and throw interceptions, no one’s really feeling bad for me,” O’Connell said.
“You got to produce in the NFL, and so besides my wife and my parents, no one’s really going to feel bad for me. So, try to go out there and compete, no matter who’s calling plays or who’s out there.”
As the Raiders move into a new era, with yet another new coaching staff, O’Connell remains an example of perseverance. The fourth-year quarterback is, in a way, a representation of the past three seasons for Las Vegas. The Raiders added two quarterbacks but have not forgotten about O’Connell.
Las Vegas knows the value of each quarterback on its roster. Kirk Cousins will start the season. Fernando Mendoza is the future, but Cousins will not be with the Raiders forever. He will soon depart, and the Raiders will need a solid second option at quarterback. O’Connell will be there waiting, though who’s to say when he will have the chance to take the field again?
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