Raiders' O'Connell Talks Being Named Starter by AP

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce named Aidan O'Connell the starting quarterback when he took over as interim coach, and O'Connell broke down his reaction.

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (4) talks with head coach Antonio Pierce during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

After a lackluster first half of the 2023 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders fired Josh McDaniels. 

Antonio Pierce was promoted to interim head coach. He then quickly captivated the locker room and Raider Nation. 

One of Pierce's first moves was naming rookie Aidan O’Connell the starting quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo had been the starter prior, but Pierce was in favor of a youth movement. O’Connell was named the starter for the next game and the rest of the season. 

It’s a bold move to name a fourth-round rookie who only had one previous start because of an injury the starter for the rest of the season, but no one will mistake Pierce for being a shy coach. 

O’Connell recalled his experience when Pierce named him the starter when he joined defensive end Maxx Crosby on the latest episode of his podcast, "The Rush with Maxx Crosby."

“I kind of felt like something may happen,” O'Connell said. “Obviously, after we had been going through some turmoil kind of early to midway through the season. After the Lions game, I got up to pee at like 3 AM, and my wife was like, ‘Have you heard anything?’ I didn’t even know why she was awake. I was like, ‘No.’ She was like, ‘Well, yeah. Josh got fired.’ Then I just laid there in bed for two hours just thinking, and then I went to the facility, and Bo [Hardegree] came and found me in the weight room, and he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m calling the plays, and you’re starting.’”

While O’Connell wanted to be excited to start, he knew he had to start preparing for the game immediately.

“We played the Lions on Monday, and we were playing on Sunday; it was a short week," he said. "They just got fired, and then I found out, and there was really no time to do anything else. We were playing the Giants; Wink [Martindale] is the defensive coordinator who throws a bunch at you. And so, I was like, all this stuff piled on. I was definitely stressed out, but was excited, and you try to keep things in perspective. At the same time, you’re trying to get ready for a game. You’re also trying to be appreciative because I get to play again; I had started earlier in the year, one game, but now it was another opportunity. So, it’s all the mix of emotions you could imagine.”

O’Connell had a solid rookie season once he took over as the starter. He is in a quarterback competition with newly-signed Gardner Minshew, so he will have to prove he can maintain that level of play in 2024.

Click here to watch the full episode with O’Connell on Crosby’s podcast.

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