It may not be what Raider Nation wants to hear, but it’s the reality of the situation–There is a real chance Aidan O’Connell will be the starting quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders entering the 2025 season. As Sin City’s head coach Pete Carroll says, “the guys on the roster right now are fighting their tails off to see if they can own the [quarterback] position, and we’re going to give them every chance.”
To some, Carroll’s words may be taken as ‘coach talk’; simply saying the right things to keep everyone motivated. And for many coaches around the National Football League, these words may accurately be chalked up as just that if it were those coaches who said it.
But not for Pete Carroll.
It’s always been Carroll’s philosophy that there are no givens. It doesn’t matter how highly-touted a player is, or conversely, how poorly a player has played elsewhere. On Carroll’s team, every player earns their job, and the one who performs best will do just that.
That’s exactly why Russell Wilson was able to rise to a day-one starter despite being a third-round selection, in a time where it was quite uncommon for quarterbacks to start Week 1 of their rookie season.
Similarly, it’s why Geno Smith was able to claim a starting position in the NFL despite having 29 passing touchdowns to 36 interceptions prior to joining the Seattle Seahawks, overtaking the Super Bowl winning Wilson.
This philosophy is something that motivated Smith immediately upon joining the Seahawks back in 2020.
“He’s one of the coaches who truly believes in hard work, so when I got here, I knew that if I worked hard enough, maybe I’d get a shot,” Smith said in reference to Carroll.
Las Vegas Raiders: Aidan O’Connell may still win QB1 job under Pete Carroll
That brings us back to the beginning of this article. Although Pete Carroll and John Spytek are in agreement that competitors should be added to the quarterback room, the winner of the job will be the player who best shows Carroll why he deserves it.
There’s a chance that player will be O’Connell, who’s already well-acclimated with teammates Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers, among others. O’Connell is already plenty familiar with the tendencies of those he’s spent the past few years throwing the football to, giving him an advantage other signal callers won’t have upon first joining the Raiders.
Beyond that, O’Connell has two favorable things locked down.
He’s a hard worker like Geno Smith who won the QB1 job under Carroll in 2022. Multiple coaches of Las Vegas’ past have attested to this fact. Secondly, he’s somewhat of a coach’s dream; a player who stays in the lane the coach has created for them without venturing into a new lane they’ve created. O’Connell prioritizes attempting to execute each play how the coach drew it up with as little alterations as possible.
While these things may not matter to fans, they mean a lot to coaches. It’s fair to say those same traits helped Derek Carr retain an unrivaled starting position under center for virtually an entire decade with the Raiders throughout a plethora of different coaching staffs.
The battle for QB1 in Sin City is just beginning
In any event, Raider Nation can still expect a veteran to join the quarterback room this offseason. Carroll wants to start compiling wins immediately with the best man possible under center, and Spytek intends to get Carroll a signal caller or two who may just be that player.
As Albert Breer mentions, the Raiders are one of the teams with interest in Matthew Stafford. It is possible however that the team’s interest is nothing more than due diligence.
Adam Schefter personally believes the team will make a play on Sam Darnold next month. Others believe Aaron Rodgers and the Raiders make a lot of sense, though at this juncture, perhaps not.
One shouldn’t be surprised if a rookie in this year’s draft class gets added to that mix as well. That may happen as early as their sixth-overall pick, although a later addition seems more likely.
In the meantime, Aidan O’Connell will remain a contender for the job until he shows Carroll he shouldn’t be. The battle for QB1 in the desert is just beginning.
*Top Photo: AP Photo/Marcio Josie Sanchez
Scouting Report: Getting The Raiders A Back Who Chip Kelly Won A Natty With