Aidan O’Connell enters the Raiders’ rebuild with something few quarterbacks ever get: a real chance to turn instability into leverage.
Las Vegas is 21 days from kicking off 2026 training camp, and after the 2025 collapse, the organization is leaning into a true rebuild built on old-school NFL basics. That puts the quarterback spot right back at the center of everything, because as Don Shula put it: “Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.”
O’Connell has lived through the opposite of stability. Drafted by the Raiders in 2023, he has already started significant games while showing both flashes and rough edges. He has done it all while working under four head coaches and six offensive coordinators, a stretch that has made organizational dysfunction the biggest obstacle in his development.
And yet, he has kept earning respect.
Around the league, teams were watching to see whether GM John Spytek would move on from O’Connell after the Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza. He didn’t. Mendoza is the future, but O’Connell’s role in 2026 still matters, especially with Klint Kubiak now in place and Kirk Cousins in the building.
Kubiak made it clear he likes what he sees from O’Connell.
“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, too, pointed straight at the reality O’Connell has had to navigate.
"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."
"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."
That consistency is exactly what O’Connell has never really had. Even so, he has built a reputation as warm, engaging, and relentlessly team-first, the kind of player teammates gravitate toward because he never hides behind excuses.
He also has the kind of traits coaches trust: strong pocket presence, a backbone of steel, and a work ethic that shows up every day. In a locker room where that matters, he has stood out.
When asked after mandatory minicamp about his career path, O’Connell didn’t sugarcoat it.
“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.”
He stayed on that same note when talking about the criticism that comes with constant coaching changes.
“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."
In Other News...
Raiders Suddenly Have An Aidan O'Connell Decision They Can't Dodge
The Raiders quarterback room is starting to come into focus for 2026, and it leaves Aidan OConnell in an awkward spot. Kirk Cousins is the presumed starter, rookie Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the future answer when he is ready, and OConnell sits in the middle as the most obvious odd man out, even though he still profiles as a usable NFL backup.
That is what makes his situation worth watching before the season begins. OConnell is viewed as a potential trade piece, and there are teams around the league believed to be interested in him, but Las Vegas has to decide whether keeping him as insurance is worth more than turning him into value now. For a quarterback in a contract year, spending the season buried on the depth chart would not help his case, so the Raiders may have to move before the choice gets made for them. [Read more 🡒]
Thomas Booker IV Is Becoming A Bigger Part Of The Raiders Rebuild
After a 3-14 season, the Raiders spent the offseason trying to reshape both the roster and the coaching infrastructure, and one of the quieter moves has turned into a meaningful one up front. Thomas Booker IV arrived in a trade with Philadelphia and quickly worked his way into the mix on the defensive line, giving Las Vegas another body it can trust as it tries to build something sturdier around a unit that needs more than just a few standouts.
Bookers value has shown up in the kind of role the Raiders want to lean on more often, with defensive coordinator Rob Leonard stressing the importance of depth and rotation along the line. Booker also logged a full seasons worth of availability and starting experience in his first year with Las Vegas, which is exactly the sort of reliability a rebuilding team can use while it sorts out the rest of the front. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Need This Camp Answer Before The O Line Derails Them
Training camp is set to decide a lot for the Raiders, but the biggest question may be the right side of the offensive line. Under new head coach Klint Kubiak, the team is looking for more stability up front after a 2025 season in which protection issues kept hanging over the offense, and the focus now is on sorting out who fits best next to the rest of the line before the preseason starts to matter.
The right guard competition could stretch through Caleb Rogers, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Trey Zuhn III and possibly Jordan Meredith, while DJ Glaze looks like the frontrunner at right tackle unless Charles Grant makes it much closer than expected. ESPN has already raised concerns about pass protection on that side, and the Raiders need a cleaner answer there before the line becomes the kind of problem that can undo whatever progress the new staff is trying to build. [Read more 🡒]