Last season, Aidan O’Connell started most games as a rookie for the Las Vegas Raiders after the team benched previous starter Jimmy Garoppolo. But even though he performed well at times last year, he’s going to have to earn the job this year.
The Las Vegas Raiders brought in veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew to compete for the starting job and are also expected to select a rookie quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft. So Aidan O’Connell will have a lot of competition, but it doesn’t sound like he’s too bothered by that.
“I think especially at this level — and I thought the same thing at Purdue — but especially at this level, there’s going to be competition,” O’Connell said during his Monday press conference. “I mean, it’s the best of the best, and so the coaches and administration want to bring in the best players possible to try to make the team better. And the best guys are going to play, and so I’m just trying to do my job.
“[I]t’s new at this level for me, but it’s nothing new in terms of the competition. It’s been even since high school what I’ve been dealing with and working through, and so that’s just part of the game. It’s not unique to any one position, it’s how it is at every position. Obviously, only one quarterback plays, but it’s part of it.”
We’ll have to see who ends up winning the job this offseason.
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