Why Aidan O'Connell Has Most To Gain From Raiders Rebuild

SENEY, Michigan—The Las Vegas Raiders kick off their 2026 NFL training camp in just 21 days. That is correct, in just three weeks, the season begins, and the Silver and Black fan base is fired up.

With all of the changes after the 2025 collapse, Raider Nation, rather than being sold simple hope, has been handed tangible evidence of a true rebuild on simple yet proven NFL principles.

The Raiders are firmly rebuilding, returning to their old identity to find their new one.

Bad Luck?

It is not a secret that the QB position, from the onset of professional football, is the most important position. The legendary Don Shula said it best: “Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.”

The Raiders' struggles over the last two decades have been for a myriad of reasons, but there has been a lot of bad QB play.

The QB Room

When the Raiders selected Aidan O’Connell in the 2023 NFL Draft, they were very high on the former Purdue Boilermaker. He has started several significant games and, at times, has shone and, at times, has been shaky.

Through it all, despite not having played his fourth season, he has had four head coaches and six offensive coordinators. The organization's dysfunction has been the biggest impediment to his career.

But he doesn’t complain.

Aidan O'Connell, Fernando Mendoza | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

O’Connell is warm and engaging and never makes excuses. In a world of professional prima donnas, he is the ultimate team player. That has endeared him to many.

Around the NFL, several teams watched closely to see if GM John Spytek would move on from him after the selection of Fernando Mendoza, and he didn’t. The NFL is curious, but so are the Raiders.

Aidan O'Connell, Kirk Cousins | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

There is no debate: Mendoza is the future, but for the chance to get tutelage from Klint Kubiak, mentoring from Kirk Cousins, and to develop his leadership by helping the rookie, 2026 is a pivotal career year for O’Connell.

With so many teams watching closely, how he responds in a finally stable QB environment could reveal a bright future for the Raiders' gunslinger.

Kubiak’s Stamp of Approval

What matters now for O’Connell is that he has the man that many thought was the best offensive mind available for a head coaching job in 2026 firmly on his side. Klint Kubiak respects his young protégé, but even more importantly, is impressed by his skill set.

I asked Kubiak about the long road over such a short time that O’Connell has traversed, and he wasted no time making his thoughts clear.

May 20, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) stretches during organized team activities at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“You guys are at practice, you see how Aidan [O'Connell] completes balls. I competed against him live on gameday. I'm not surprised with the positive camp that he's had. In college football and the NFL, everyone has a new coach every year. That's just how it goes. You can make that an excuse, or you can use it to get better. I think he's used it in the latter way.”

Cousins Drops Truth Bomb

The lack of organizational development with O’Connell mandated that the Raiders, if they could land the perfect candidate, would bring them in. They weren’t going to just bring anyone in. They were more than willing to enter the season with O’Connell competing with Mendoza if Cousins was not available.

But it worked out with Cousins - not a slam against O’Connell; it actually was a blessing.

Aidan O'Connell | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

I asked Cousins about O’Connell and the fact that, despite not even playing his fourth NFL season, he has had multiple head coaches and offensive coordinators, and the impediment that has been to his NFL development. Cousins wasted no time dropping a truth bomb.

"Yeah, it's unbelievable. It's ridiculous. Yeah, it's hard. And then the flip side, when you look at a lot of quarterbacks who have had very unique success in this league, there tends to be some real consistency with systems and coaches and familiarity, and they're able to play without having to think."

Kirk Cousins answers questions from the media during the Kirk Cousins Football Camp on Wednesday, June 24. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"And so, pretty impressive that Aidan's [O'Connell] on his, whatever it is number head coach, number coordinator, and he is able to operate that quickly, running the system and knowing what to do, and I think Klint [Kubiak] sees that, [Andrew] Janocko sees that. So, he's doing a great job, but yeah, once he can get with somebody where they can kind of be consistent with that, I think that's also going to really help his and anyone's development."

No Excuses From the Boilermaker

O’Connell has a strong pocket presence, a backbone of steel, and a work ethic that has the respect of the locker room. While others whine, he works, and that stands out every time you speak to him.

I asked O’Connell after the mandatory minicamp about his career path. It isn’t his fault at all, but it is the reality of a professional football career. He made no excuses but was forthright.

“Obviously, didn't expect it to be like this, but I've learned no wasted years in the NFL. Even when you're losing, even when things are hard, you can still learn a lot."

"And I've learned a lot, even last year. I only played in our last game for three quarters, but learned a bunch just sitting kind of on the sideline and watching. And again, being able to interact with a lot of coordinators, I think, has been good for me to really learn what I like, to learn what I think is the best way to play quarterback, the best way to play football.”

True to form, he chose to look at the glass as half full, not empty, and his ever-present positive attitude showed why people love him.

Aidan O'Connell, Fernando Mendoza-2 | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

“You can complain about it, I really realize people really don't care about that very much, like people talk about a little bit having a lot of coordinators or coaches, but if I go out there and throw interceptions, no one's really feeling bad for me. You got to produce in the NFL, and so besides my wife and my parents, no one's really going to feel bad for me. So, try to go out there and compete, no matter who's calling plays or who's out there."

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