Who knows what the NFL will look like by the time the Week 6 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders rolls around. But if the game was to be played today, Raiders’ wide receiver thinks Aidan O’Connell would get the nod.
Joining Fox Sports 1’s Speak last week, Adams said O’Connell is trending like the team’s starter.
“I think right now, if I had to say, I think Aidan has the job because obviously he was here before, and that’s the way that it was,” Adams said via an NFL.com transcript. “He was running with the 1s more. Until Gardner comes in and takes the job away from him, I think it’s Aidan’s job right now. He’s doing what he’s got to do to hold onto it.”
Though it may be the least-compelling quarterback battle, there’s an open competition in Las Vegas. The Raiders expressed interest in Russell Wilson but lost out to Pittsburgh. Instead, thy pivoted towards signing journeyman Gardner Minshew to a two-year, $25 million deal to compete with O’Connell. With six quarterbacks going ahead of them, the Raiders had no options to draft the position early.
While Minshew is making good money, O’Connell has a legs up with experience. Drafted in 2023, he saw action after Jimmy Garoppolo has benched and head coach Josh McDaniels fired, replaced by Antonio Pierce, now the team’s full-time coach.
O’Connell started 10 games as a rookie, going 5-5 as a starter. His production was acceptable given his inexperience and the Raiders’ shaky roster, completing 62 percent of his passes and throwing 12 touchdowns. His best performance came blowing out the Los Angeles Chargers 63-21, tossing four touchdowns in the rout.
Coming out of Purdue, our scouting report on O’Connell viewed him having backup tools, comparing him to Brian Hoyer.
When the Steelers and Raiders meet, Pittsburgh will look for the same result they achieved in 2023. On the road, the Steelers came out on top 23-18. But that came against Garoppolo, not O’Connell, and the Raiders seem to be in less disarray than they were a year ago. To win this time, they’ll need stronger quarterback play. That means getting Adams involved. He had a field day against Pittsburgh in last year’s meeting, catching 13 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
The Raiders’ summer battle will be one of two ones to watch for the Steelers schedule. The other also resides in the AFC West where Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, and Zach Wilson will fight to play Pittsburgh Week 2.
