Report: Raiders expected to start rookie QB Aidan O'Connell vs. Chargers
Las Vegas Raiders (1-2) rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell is expected to get the first start of his NFL career in the Week 4 road tilt against the Los Angeles Chargers (1-2) Sunday.
O’Connell gets the nod over veteran signal-caller Brian Hoyer, with starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo sidelined with a concussion. Both O’Connell and Hoyer received first-team reps during the week, but O’Connell got the majority of the reps by the end of the week, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
O’Connell, the Raiders’ fourth-round selection out of Purdue, impressed during the preseason. In three games, he completed 43-of-62 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns. Despite his performance, Las Vegas listed Hoyer as the backup to Garoppolo on the depth chart. But after back-to-back losses to the Buffalo Bills (2-1) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1), head coach Josh McDaniels is rolling with the 25-year-old.
“I think the preseason was valuable for me at the time. Just to get out there and play and get it under my belt,” O’Connell said Friday. “But I think at this point it’s pretty far gone and it’s different teams and different schemes and different game plans for us. So I’m happy it happened, but it’s time to move on, I think, and see what happens.”
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Aidan O’Connell gets first NFL start after strong preseason, career at Purdue
O’Connell shined over four seasons with the Boilermakers, throwing for 9,219 yards with 65 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
“Aidan’s been doing — I think he’s opened up a lot of eyes since he has been here. Coming from Purdue and not being a super highly touted quarterback, as far as to my knowledge,” star receiver Davante Adams said. “I think he has surprised a lot of people for what he has done. He has shown a lot of poise and some promise, for sure. But he’s got to just keep doing what he’s doing. And he will be well on his way when his time comes.”
The Raiders signed Garoppolo to a three-year, $72.75 million deal this offseason. He suffered a concussion in the 23-18 Week 3 defeat to the Steelers. The 31-year-old has missed 16 regular season and playoff games due to injury since 2020. In three games this season, Garoppolo threw for 709 yards with five touchdowns and a league-leading six interceptions.