Aidan O'Connell

Aidan James O'Connell (born September 1, 1998) is an American professional football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers and was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Early life O'Connell was born on September 1, 1998, and grew up in Long Grove, Illinois. O'Connell is the middle child of five brothers: Sean, Patrick, Liam, and Seamus. He also has one sister, Grace.

O'Connell played high school football and basketball for Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois. He was not a highly recruited Illinois high school athlete, as his only scholarship offer came from Davenport University, a Division II school. In 2016, his only season as a starter, he threw for a school record 2,741 yards and 26 touchdowns.

College career

On February 3, 2017, O'Connell committed to play college football for Wheaton College, but less than a month later, he accepted a preferred walk-on spot with Purdue.

After not playing in 2017 and 2018, he played in six games in 2019 and started three. He made his first career start against Northwestern, completing 34 of 50 passes for 271 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Overall that season, he completed 103 of 164 passes for 1,101 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. O'Connell entered 2020 as the starter before suffering a season-ending injury after three games. He completed 88 of 136 passes for 916 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. O'Connell entered 2021 as the backup to Jack Plummer, but eventually took over as the starter and completed 315 of 440 passes for 3,712 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He decided to enter the 2023 NFL draft after the 2022 season. In the 2022 season, he passed for 3,490 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions to go with a rushing touchdown.

Professional career

2023 season O'Connell was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round with the 135th pick of the 2023 NFL draft.

On October 1, 2023, O'Connell made his first career NFL start, filling in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo. Playing against the Los Angeles Chargers, he went 24-of-39 for 238 yards and had his first career rushing touchdown on a goal-line sneak. The Raiders lost 24–17 in his debut. On November 1, 2023, O'Connell was named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. In Week 15, O'Connell threw four touchdown passes in a dominant 63–21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. During the Week 16 Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs, where despite his team winning 20–14, O'Connell went 9 of 21 in pass attempts for 62 yards, never completing a pass after the first quarter. O'Connell went 5–5 as a starter. He finished with 2,218 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and 7 interceptions to go with a rushing touchdown.

2024 season Following a preseason quarterback competition with new free agent signing Gardner Minshew, O'Connell was named a backup to begin the season. After the Raiders began the season with a 2–3 record, O'Connell was named the starter on October 9. In his first start of the season, O'Connell passed for 227 yards, one touchdown, and one interception as the Raiders lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 32–13. Against the Los Angeles Rams on October 20, O'Connell suffered a fractured thumb and was later placed on injured reserve. After missing four games, the Raiders activated O'Connell to the 53-man roster on November 28, ahead of the team's Week 13 matchup against the Chiefs. In his return from injury, O'Connell produced the first 300-yard performance of his career, finishing with 340 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions, but miscommunication in the final minute resulted in a lost fumble as the Raiders lost 19–17. He sustained another injury in the team's Week 14 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he suffered a bone bruise to his knee, before returning in Week 16 to end off the season with a record of 2–5.

2025 season O'Connell suffered a fractured wrist in the Raiders' preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals, and was placed on injured reserve to begin the season as a result. He was activated on November 19, ahead of the team's Week 12 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Serving as the team's third-string quarterback behind starter Geno Smith and backup Kenny Pickett throughout the year, O'Connell would make his sole 2025 season appearance during a Week 18 win against the Kansas City Chiefs, passing for 102 yards and marking the Raiders' first win against the Chiefs in Allegiant Stadium.

Career statistics

NFL Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles 2023 LV 11 10 5–5 213 343 62.1 2,218 6.5 50 12 7 83.9 17 11 0.6 3 1 24 173 4 2 2024 LV 9 7 2–5 154 243 63.4 1,612 6.6 58 8 4 86.7 21 30 1.4 13 1 10 82 2 2 2025 LV 1 0 — 10 22 45.5 102 4.6 23 0 0 59.3 1 7 7.0 7 0 1 5 0 0 Career 21 17 7–10 377 608 62.0 3,932 6.5 58 20 11 84.1 39 48 1.2 13 2 35 260 6 4

College

Personal life O'Connell is married to Jael O'Connell (née Johnson), who played volleyball at Purdue.