Raiders Rumors: Aidan O'Connell's Toughness Praised by Exec after Replacing Garoppolo

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell elicited praise from inside and outside of the organization based on his performance in the preseason and previously in place of an absent Jimmy Garoppolo.

"O'Connell impressed enough in the preseason that some in the Raiders building believed he should have been playing much earlier than Week 9," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported. "One high-ranking NFL evaluator who saw O'Connell's Week 4 start vs. the Chargers said O'Connell can see the field from the pocket and is accurate to the first- and second-levels of the field."

That evaluator added that O'Connell "throws a catchable ball and has toughness."

The 2023 fourth-round pick appeared in all three of Las Vegas' preseason games, throwing for 482 yards and three touchdowns. A concussion to Garoppolo then pressed him into starting duty against the Chargers, and he finished 24-of-39 for 238 yards and an interception.

Now, it's O'Connell's time to shine after the Raiders benched Garoppolo amid a wider reshuffle that saw head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler fired.

It appears the rookie already has an endorsement from one of the most notable voices on the roster. Davante Adams described him as "a really consistent dude" who has shown a lot of dedication behind the scenes.

"Having that type of mentality as a young guy, he could obviously sit back there quietly, but the way he works on his body, all the things like that, it's a lot more mature than what I've seen from a first-year quarterback in my history," Adams told reporters.

The Aidan O'Connell era will officially get underway Sunday against the New York Giants. Based on the Raiders' new priorities, you'd think he'll have the rest of the season to demonstrate why he can be a viable starting option beyond 2023.