Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Strong game marred by miscue
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O'Connell completed 23 of 35 passes for 340 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and netted no gain on one rush in the Raiders' 19-17 loss to the Chiefs on Friday. He also lost a fumble.
Seeing his first action since Week 7 due to a thumb injury, O'Connell arguably outplayed Patrick Mahomes but still saw the Raiders come up short partly through his own doing. O'Connell's passing yardage total was easily a new career high, and his multi-touchdown tally, which consisted of second-half scoring tosses to Brock Bowers (33 yards) and Tre Tucker (58 yards), was his first of the 2024 season. The second-year signal-caller also spread the ball around to seven different targets, but he wasn't ready for a shotgun snap with 15 seconds remaining at the Chiefs' 38-yard line and saw the ball eventually end up in the hands of Kansas City's Nick Bolton for a game-ending turnover. Despite the heartbreaking finish, O'Connell's overall performance and his chemistry with Bowers (10-140-1) was particularly encouraging, and he therefore carries a bright fantasy outlook into a Week 14 road interconference clash against the Buccaneers on Sunday, Dec. 8.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Officially activated off IR
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O'Connell (thumb) was activated off injured reserve Thursday ahead of Friday's game against the Chiefs.
O'Connell's activation corresponds with fellow quarterback Gardner Minshew (collarbone) landing on IR. O'Connell was deemed a full participant on the Raiders' injury report Tuesday through Thursday and heads into Friday without a designation, lining him up to start against Kansas City. Prior to hurting his thumb, O'Connell had completed 52 of 82 passes for 455 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions over four games.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Named Week 13 starter
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Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday that O'Connell (thumb) will start Friday's game at Kansas City, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site reports.
The Raiders listed O'Connell as a full practice participant Tuesday, one day after designating him from return from injured reserve. Las Vegas apparently plans to activate him from IR before Friday's game and put him back in the starting role. O'Connell took the job from Gardner Minshew (collarbone) going into Week 6, but then suffered a fractured thumb on his throwing hand in his second start in Week 7. Minshew has started each subsequent game, with Desmond Ridder subbing in a couple of times, including this past Sunday against Denver when Minshew suffered a season-ending injury.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Deemed full participant in practice
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O'Connell was estimated as a full participant in Tuesday's walk-through practice, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.
The wheels were set in motion for O'Connell to return from a four-game absence when Las Vegas designated him to return from injured reserve Monday, and the second-year quarterback now appears likely to start Friday against Kansas City after opening Week 13 prep as a full participant. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported earlier Tuesday that O'Connell took first-team reps during a walkthrough Monday, suggesting that the Purdue product will be the Raiders' preferred option ahead of Desmond Ridder with Gardner Minshew (collarbone) out for the season. O'Connell will need to be activated off IR before he can be confirmed for the Week 13 start, but everything points to that transaction taking place.
The Raiders are preparing for O'Connell (thumb) to start Friday's game at Kansas City, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
O'Connell remains on injured reserve, but the Raiders set in motion his potential return for Week 13 by opening his 21-day practice window Monday. According to Pelissero, O'Connell took all the first-team reps during Monday's unofficial practice session, while Desmond Ridder worked with the second team after coming on to replace the injured Gardner Minshew (collarbone) in Sunday's 29-19 loss to the Broncos. With Minshew out for the season, O'Connell should have the opportunity to start for the Raiders over the final six contests, provided his fractured right thumb doesn't present any complications in practice leading up to Friday's game. O'Connell profiles as a low-end fantasy option after he completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 6.3 yards per attempt and a 14:9 TD:INT while offering little production as a runner (11 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries) over his first 15 NFL appearances (12 starts).
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Designated to return to practice
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O'Connell (thumb) was designated to return to practice on Monday.
The move arrives at an opportune time for the Raiders, with head coach Antonio Pierce having confirmed Monday that Gardner Minshew will be out for the rest of the season after suffering a broken collarbone Sunday, per Levi Edwards of the team's official site. As for O'Connell's potential availability for Friday's game against the Chiefs, Pierce noted that the signal-caller has "been ramping up," while acknowledging that a call on O'Connell's Week 13 status will be up to the Raiders' medical staff. In the event that O'Connell isn't activated from IR ahead of Friday's contest, Desmond Ridder would be in line to draw the start against Kansas City.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Could return from IR in Week 13
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The Raiders are hoping that O'Connell (thumb) will be ready to return from injured reserve and start their Week 13 game against Kansas City on Friday, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.
O'Connell opened the season as the Raiders' No. 2 quarterback, but after coming on in relief for a struggling Gardner Minshew in Weeks 3 and 5, the second-year signal-caller took over as Las Vegas' starter in Week 6 before fracturing his right thumb in Week 7, resulting in his move to IR. O'Connell seems to have made good progress in his recovery, with head coach Antonio Pierce noting Sunday that the quarterback was able to do some throwing this past week. Assuming the Raiders open O'Connell's 21-day evaluation window this week, he'll have a chance to step back in as Las Vegas' starter after Minshew suffered a season-ending fractured collarbone in a Week 12 loss to the Broncos. Desmond Ridder finished out that contest under center and would be the top candidate to start in Kansas City if the Raiders aren't comfortable with having O'Connell step back into the lineup on a short week.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Moves to IR
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The Raiders placed O'Connell (thumb) on injured reserve Tuesday.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, O'Connell could miss 4-6 weeks while he recovers from a broken thumb on his throwing hand. The Raiders haven't revealed whether O'Connell will require surgery to address the injury, but in his absence, Gardner Minshew will step back into the starting role. The Raiders signed Desmond Ridder off the Cardinals' practice squad to provide depth behind Minshew.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Expected to land on IR
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The Raiders are expected to place O'Connell on IR due to a fractured thumb sustained during Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
O'Connell could be sidelined up to six weeks, a development which puts Gardner Minshew back under center for Las Vegas. In his lone full start this season, O'Connell completed 27 of 40 pass attempts for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Week 6 versus the Steelers. Across four appearances on the whole, O'Connell has thrown for 455 yards, two touchdowns and two INTs. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that O'Connell will seek a second opinion Monday to confirm the severity of his injury.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: May have broken thumb
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Based on preliminary tests, O'Connell is believed to have sustained a broken thumb during Sunday's game against the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Per the report, O'Connell will undergo further evaluation Monday to determine the extent of his thumb injury. If he ends up missing time beyond Sunday, Gardner Minshew would be in line to reclaim the Raiders' starting QB job.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Hurts thumb Sunday
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O'Connell exited Sunday's game against the Rams after suffering a thumb injury.
O'Connell had completed six of his 10 pass attempts for 52 yards prior to leaving the contest. In his absence, Gardner Minshew is in at QB for the Raiders.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Taking over starting job
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Head coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday that O'Connell will replace Gardner Minshew as the Raiders' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Minshew is being demoted to the backup role after starting the first five games of the season. Pierce said he doesn't anticipate going back to Minshew, but the coach did leave the door open to make another change if he eventually feels one is needed, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. O'Connell will start off with a home game against Pittsburgh, leading an offense that played its past two games without wideout Davante Adams (hamstring), tight end Michael Mayer (personal) and right tackle Thayer Munford (knee).
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Quarterback change may be coming
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Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Monday he hasn't ruled out O'Connell, who entered late during Sunday's 36-22 loss to the Panthers, starting over Gardner Minshew versus the Browns in Week 4, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
O'Connell looked solid in garbage time Sunday, completing nine of 12 passes for 82 yards and one touchdown late in the fourth quarter with Carolina having already firmly secured a win and focused on running out the clock. Still, with Minshew compiling only 214 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception in roughly three and a half quarters of play, it sounds like the Raiders will evaluate things under center. Pierce said Las Vegas was "just trying to look for a spark" by having O'Connell enter Sunday's game, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Won't play Friday
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Coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday that O'Connell won't play in Friday's preseason game against the 49ers, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.
Neither will Gardner Minshew, who was named the Week 1 starter Sunday. O'Connell will enter the regular season as the Raiders' No. 2 quarterback, after completing 21 of 29 passes for 176 yards, one TD and one INT in two preseason appearances.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Sharp in preseason loss
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O'Connell completed seven of nine passes for 76 yards in Saturday's 24-23 preseason loss to the Vikings.
The second-year QB was expected to see about a quarter of action in the Raiders' preseason opener, but O'Connell wound up being under center for only a single possession as he led Las Vegas on a nearly eight-minute drive that ended in a first-quarter field goal. Gardner Minshew then took over to begin the second quarter and engineered three quick scoring drives before halftime, including two touchdowns. While O'Connell getting the start might suggest he's ahead in the battle to be the Week 1 starter, Minshew had a lot more success putting points on the board. The competition will likely continue into next Saturday's clash with the Cowboys.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Remains set for QB battle
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O'Connell remains in position to compete with Gardner Minshew for the starting job this offseason, after the Raiders refrained from selecting a rookie quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, Mark Anderson of the Associated Press reports.
Las Vegas was an oft-theorized candidate to add a QB in April's draft, but six signal-callers ultimately went off the board before the team's first-round selection at No. 13 overall, which became playmaking tight end Brock Bowers. The team invested second- and third-round selections in offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar Glaze, putting whoever wins the 2024 starting gig in a better position for success. O'Connell completed 213 of 343 pass attempts for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 10 starts last season, which is solid rookie numbers for a fourth-round pick, but Minshew boasts enough experience that this offseason should play out as a true competition.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Gets competition for starting gig
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O'Connell (finger) looks set to compete with Gardner Minshew, whom the Raiders plan to ink to a two-year, $25 million deal, for the starting quarterback job, Tashan Reed, Larry Holder and Jeff Howe of The Athletic report.
O'Connell put together a solid rookie campaign for a fourth-round pick across 11 regular-season appearances (10 starts), completing 213 of 343 pass attempts for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Minshew is an established veteran and represents real competition for O'Connell, having thrown for 3,305 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine INTs across 13 starts with Indianapolis last season, but the 2023 draft pick out of Purdue could get a real chance to compete this offseason. Of course, things could get murkier if Las Vegas bolsters the QB position in April's draft, and this is an offense that will need to transform after losing Josh Jacobs to Green Bay in free agency.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Little output in Monday's win
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O'Connell completed nine of 21 passes for 62 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions and also rushed four times for minus-4 yards during Monday's 20-14 victory at Kansas City.
O'Connell didn't outduel Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes by any means, but the former also didn't commit a turnover and kept feeding the ball to running back Zamir White, who earned another spot start for Josh Jacobs (quadriceps/illness) and racked up 22 carries for 145 yards. O'Connell benefitted from his defense scoring two defensive touchdowns on back-to-back Kansas City offensive plays late in the second quarter, and the Raiders offense did just enough to outlast the home team. Monday's paltry output was a far cry from the 248 yards and four touchdowns through the air that he contributed to a 63-21 win against the Chargers in Week 15. Nevertheless, O'Connell will turn his focus to Sunday's contest at Indianapolis.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Expected to remain starter Thursday
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O'Connell is expected to remain the Raiders' starting quarterback for Thursday's game against the Chargers, even though interim head coach Antonio Pierce has been non-committal on a Week 15 starter, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Some had speculated that the Raiders might turn the starting job back over to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo after O'Connell threw an interception and averaged a season-low 5.3 yards per attempt in the Raiders' 3-0 loss to the Vikings on Sunday, but the rookie fourth-round pick looks like he'll get at least one more opportunity to keep his job. Over his first seven NFL appearances (six starts), O'Connell has completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 6.5 YPA and a 4:7 TD:INT.
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Raiders' Aidan O'Connell: Comes up clutch on SNF
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O'Connell completed 16 of 27 pass attempts for 153 yards, one touchdown and one interception while gaining three yards on two rushing attempts in Sunday's 16-12 win over the Jets.
O'Connell was hovering around a 50 percent completion rate with an interception thrown before dialing it in and throwing the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win. The rookie signal-caller still finished with a pedestrian fantasy line despite helping earn his team its second win in his second start in place of the benched Jimmy Garoppolo. O'Connell's physical skill set doesn't project to generate big passing numbers in the Raiders' recent run-heavy offense, so the rookie should be treated as a low-end option in Week 11 against Miami's aggressive pass rush next Sunday.
