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The Las Vegas Raiders may be without quarterback Aidan O'Connell this week, but there remains hope that he will be able to give it a go.
At 2-11, the Raiders are eliminated from playoff contention and are more in the running for the NFL Draft's No. 1 overall pick, which they may use to select a quarterback. Nevertheless, the players and coaches are obviously still trying to win games, and the belief is that O'Connell, who started 10 games and won five last season, will give Vegas a better chance of capturing its third win than if Desmond Ridder starts.
So even though it looks highly unlikely that O'Connell will be able to play after suffering a bone bruise in his knee against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce is reportedly willing to wait and see.
“Sources consider Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (knee) a long shot for Monday vs. Atlanta, but coach Antonio Pierce is leaving the light on for him, holding out hope in case there's a chance he can go,” ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. “Injured reserve has not been a major consideration as of this week. ‘Still a chance he finishes the season for us,' a team source said. O'Connell has been the most consistent quarterback for Las Vegas this season when healthy.”
Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell's season has been stop-and-go to this point
O'Connell, a second-year player out of Purdue, has completed 63.2% of his passes this season in four starts and six games. He has thrown for 899 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions but unfortunately, has been on the losing end of each of his starts for the Raiders this year.
Like last season, he began the year on the sidelines; in 2023, he was the third-string quarterback behind offseason signing Jimmy Gaoppolo and Brian Hoyer. He eventually ascended to the starting job, though, taking over for Garoppolo on a full-time basis in Week 9 when he led the Raiders to a 30-6 win, his first victory as a starter.
This year, Gardner Minshew earned the starting spot ahead of O'Connell to begin the season. After a 2-3 start, though, Pierce turned to O'Connell, who started two games before Pierce was forced to reverse course because O'Connell injured his thumb. Since then, Minshew, now out for the year with a broken collarbone, and O'Connell have each started. And it hasn't made a difference in the results; Las Vegas has lost nine consecutive games and is in the driver's seat to land the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Whether O'Connell will be good to go vs. Atlanta or not remains to be seen, but if Ridder does start, he will be going up against the team that drafted him in 2022.
