Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell Wants to be a More Vocal Leader

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce has challenged quarterback Aidan O'Connell to lead with his voice along with his actions.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell is entering his second season with the team. 

He took over as the starting quarterback midway through the season when Antonio Pierce was promoted to interim head coach. Pierce believed the fourth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft would win them games and turn their season around. 

Now, O’Connell enters Year 2 hoping to lock down the starting job for an entire season. However, he won’t have a clear path to that as the team brought in veteran journeyman Gardner Minshew II to compete with him. 

If O’Connell wants to get a leg up on Minshew, there is one way he can do that: by becoming a more vocal leader. He wasn’t able to do that last year as a rookie, but now that he has commanded the respect of his locker room, he has a better shot of being heard. 

O’Connell discussed how he can be a more vocal leader when he addressed the media Monday.

“I think it definitely depends on your role,” he said. “And reflecting, I definitely could have done a better job of that last season. And it’s hard as a rookie, my head was spinning, and I was trying to figure it out on the fly. And so there’s aspects to playing quarterback more than just throwing the football and running the plays that are called. So, yeah, that’s definitely something I’m trying to develop and be better at, and also just being myself and putting my best foot forward every day. I think definitely leading by example is important, but as a quarterback I know I have to be vocal. So, there’s a combination of things I’m definitely working on, like I said, and this offseason was a good time to reflect and work on those things.”

O’Connell mentioned that he is a “lead by example” quarterback but knows he has to speak up to take command of the offense. Leadership is an intangible that every quarterback must have, and it comes in many different forms. 

As O’Connell faces a pivotal offseason full of competition, he must utilize another element of leadership to strengthen his case to be the starter.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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