Las Vegas Raiders fans feel as though they’ve seen enough from the Jimmy Garoppolo-led offense. Start Aidan O’Connell, they say—is this one of those times that the fans are right?
After moving on from Derek Carr in the offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders had high hopes for their new incoming quarterback. Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler revisited their Patriots roots—shocker, we know. They ended up signing Jimmy Garoppolo as their new signal-caller. Garoppolo had back-to-back solid seasons for the San Francisco 49ers before going down with an injury last season.
The hope of a fresh start has now been wiped away as Garoppolo and the Raiders have come out of the gate struggling. The team is 1-2, and though they are middle of the pack in passing attack numbers, Garoppolo leads the NFL with six interceptions. The Raiders are dead last in rushing yards and are one of three teams without a rushing touchdown.
It’s way too early to judge whether Garoppolo will continue to struggle or if he’ll turn it around any time soon. Raiders fans shouldn’t hit the panic button yet, as their record could’ve easily been 2-1 right now.
Jimmy Garoppolo’s health could lead to an opportunity for Aidan O’Connell
Garoppolo is dealing with a concussion heading into the NFL Week 4 matchup against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers. And while Brian Hoyer is listed as the backup on the official depth chart, Josh McDaniels needs to start rookie Aidan O’Connell.
O’Connell is different from your typical rookie quarterback. He’s on the older side at 25, having spent six seasons at Purdue. He joined the team as a preferred walk-on, not playing his first two seasons for the Boilermakers before appearing in six games in 2019. O’Connell was named the starter in 2020, but his season was cut short due to injury.
O’Connell’s college run
Overall, at Purdue, O’Connell completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 9,219 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions. The Raiders drafted him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, meaning they saw a future for O’Connell. But a future where he’s QB1 out of the gate? One could’ve guessed we wouldn’t have seen the rookie for some time as he developed under McDaniels. Still, things change constantly. The prospect of starting Hoyer is far from a “sexy move.” A move, in fact, that has many in Raider Nation claiming they’ll turn off their televisions and phones if he starts.
Raiders fans knowing they’ll watch on Sunday whether it’s Jimmy Garoppolo or Brian Hoyer pic.twitter.com/tvaZnO8J8u
— RaiderRamble.com™ (@TheRaiderRamble) September 27, 2023
On top of that, O’Connell had a great showing this preseason, throwing for 482 yards and three touchdowns with a QB rating of 108.4. He’s gained the coaches’ trust and has done well learning the playbook early on.
Raiders, Josh McDaniels have nothing to lose here, right?
Las Vegas has nothing to lose by sending O’Connell out there in Week 4. Even if they lose, there’s still a long season to turn things around, as the Raiders will be just 1-3. This is the perfect opportunity to see what your rookie quarterback can do and if he’s the answer in a post-Garoppolo world.
McDaniels won’t send out O’Connell blindly, as he’ll have plenty of options to fall back on. There’s always the tried-and-true idea of throwing it anywhere near Davante Adams and hoping for a catch. Chances are that Adams will make the play. And with Jakobi Meyers back in the lineup, O’Connell has another stud receiver to throw to.
Even if the passing game is struggling, the Raiders can get the offense going with Josh Jacobs in the backfield. And while the running game has been abysmal, Jacobs won the rushing title last season and is still one of the best running backs in the NFL.
The Raiders could go with Hoyer, but it would be a waste of an opportunity not to see what O’Connell has in his arsenal.
*Top Photo: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images