National Football League

Raiders OC 'excited' about Aidan O'Connell even with 'impressive' QB draft class

Published Feb. 17, 2024 5:22 p.m. ET

New Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is tasked with getting quarterback Aidan O'Connell to take the next step after a respectable rookie season. And from a distance, Getsy likes what he sees.

"Without even knowing him or talking to him about anything yet, I could tell you right now that guy has got to be someone that prepares his butt off and is a great teammate," Getsy said Friday. "For the guys to rally around him the way that I saw from the outside looking in and for him to go perform in the way that he did in the end of that season, that just speaks volumes.

"So, I’m excited to get to know him, excited to work with him for sure."

O'Connell, who the Raiders selected with the No. 135 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Purdue, appeared in 11 games in his rookie season, making 10 starts. He totaled 2,218 passing yards, 12 passing yards, seven interceptions and an 83.9 passer rating, while completing 62.1% of his passes during that time. Las Vegas went 5-5 in O'Connell's 10 starts.

The Raiders began the 2023 season with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo — who has reportedly been suspended two games for violating the league's PED policy and is expected to be released by the Raiders — under center, but O'Connell started in place of a concussed Garoppolo in Week 4. O'Connell was named the team's starting QB shortly after head coach Josh McDaniels was fired following the Raiders' loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 8. Then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce stuck with O'Connell for the rest of the season.

While sticking with O'Connell has its merits from both a continuity and contractual standpoint, the Raiders could also take a quarterback with the No. 13 pick — or even trade up for one.

While USC's Caleb Williams, LSU's Jayden Daniels and UNC's Drake Maye figure to be picked in the top five, Las Vegas could potentially select one of Washington's Michael Penix Jr., Oregon's Bo Nix or Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.

The thought of doing so doesn't escape Getsy.

"It’s obviously an impressive [draft class]," Getsy said. "I think there [are] a lot of different flavors, and I think I’m going to have a lot of fun diving into it."

Getsy spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. He previously held multiple offensive assistant positions with the Green Bay Packers, while holding down a one-year stint at Mississippi State in 2018.

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