While many Las Vegas Raiders fans have already turned their attention to the 2025 draft, the players still have some motivation to compete at a high level. Because of the team’s tumultuous 2-10 season, many backups are uncertain about their futures. After starting the season as a second-stringer, Aidan O’Connell has some influence over his and the team’s offseason situation.
O’Connell can show the Raiders and 31 other teams he’s a potential full-time starter in this league. Following his career performance against the Kansas City Chiefs last Friday, throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns, he can build on that momentum for a strong finish to the campaign.
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If O’Connell continues to play well, he’ll likely have a spot on the Raiders roster in 2025. He’s under contract for two more terms. Then again, O’Connell may draw interest from other quarterback-needy clubs if he puts up big numbers in the final five weeks of the season.
Remember, general manager Tom Telesco didn’t draft O’Connell. He signed Gardner Minshew to a two-year, $25 million contract. Though O’Connell has outplayed Minshew, one has to wonder if Telesco would be willing to trade the former for a good offer and then draft a quarterback in the first round. Perhaps Telesco would take an early Day 3 pick for O’Connell and retain Minshew as the primary backup behind a rookie, which would be a huge mistake.
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Nonetheless, O’Connell could complicate the Raiders’ draft scenarios for a quarterback.
Raiders are capable of winning games down the stretch
If O’Connell helps lead the Raiders to a couple of wins as he did in the previous year, Telesco may not have a shot at the top quarterback prospects unless he finds a trade partner.
O’Connell isn’t worried about the draft order or the team eyeing a rookie quarterback to save the franchise. He needs to do his best to put himself in a position to compete and win a starting job in 2025.
Related: 2025 NFL Draft order
Looking at the Raiders’ remaining opponents, O’Connell could perform at the level of a quality starter through Week 18:
Week 14: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
Week 15: vs. Atlanta Falcons (6-6)
Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
Week 17: at New Orleans Saints (4-8)
Week 18: vs. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4)
The Raiders will face one opponent with a winning record in their remaining contests, and that team (the Chargers) may rest starters if it has nothing to gain or lose with the game’s outcome.
Aside from the Chargers if they play their starters, the Buccaneers are the toughest opponent on Las Vegas’ schedule, and they allow the third-most passing yards, a defense that’s more vulnerable than the Chiefs’ unit that gave up 340 yards and two touchdowns to O’Connell last Friday.
By Sunday afternoon, O’Connell’s reputation as a serviceable starter may grow around the league and among the fanbase.
Early 2025 NFL draft outlook
Going into Week 14, the Raiders are No. 2 in the draft order. Their Week 16 game against the Jaguars could be for a top-three (or top-two) spot, and O’Connell is certainly capable of dicing up Jacksonville’s defense, which allows the most passing yards and second-most touchdowns through the air.
If Las Vegas slips a few spots in the draft order, Telesco will likely do a lot of homework on the second tier of quarterback prospects: Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers and Carson Beck, to name a few. While those names aren’t as appealing as Sanders and Ward to most fans, the Raiders better have a plan B, C and D for several scenarios.
Perhaps Telesco doesn’t have a top-10 draft grade for any of the other quarterbacks and prefers to take the best player available as he did this year or move down for a prospect in the middle or back end of the first round.
Because of so many variables that could change between now and the first round of the 2025 draft on April 24, be careful about attaching your hopes to one or two prospects. As for now, O’Connell is good enough to play the Raiders out of a top-three draft position with the fight the team has shown over the past couple of weeks.
Also, remember that head coach Antonio Pierce is trying to keep his job and needs to avoid a two-win season.
Aidan O’Connell’s audition shouldn’t dramatically change QB approach
With O’Connell immediately showing he can be effective in interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s offense, don’t be surprised if the Raiders win a game or two. If that happens, with O’Connell replicating his performance against the Chiefs, some Raider fans may warm up to the team starting Week 1 of the season with him under center.
Regardless of how O’Connell plays in upcoming games, the Raiders should be aggressive in adding a rookie quarterback, whether they trade up or pick one in the early rounds of the 2025 draft.
Until the team feels like it’s found a franchise signal-caller, O’Connell and whoever is on the roster should be in an open competition. While we cannot completely dismiss O’Connell, the Raiders shouldn’t settle for a six-week trial as enough evidence to anoint him as the franchise guy.
Maurice Moton covers the Raiders for Sportsnaut. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.