Aidan O'Connell will start for the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Head Coach Antonio Pierce announced Wednesday.
The second-year quarterback was in a battle for the position with Gardner Minshew II this offseason, with Minshew ultimately winning the job out of training camp. Minshew threw for 1,014 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions before Pierce made the decision to go with O'Connell.
"It was my decision. Just felt is was the best for our offense going forward," Pierce said.
O'Connell took over at starting quarterback in Week 9 of the 2023 season after getting his first ever start in Week 4 against the Chargers. He posted a 5-5 record as a starter with 2,218 passing yards and a 12:7 touchdown to interception ratio as a rookie.
"What I respected the most is when we named Gardner the starter, [O'Connell] said, 'Alright, I'm going to be the best scout team quarterback possible.' And he was lighting our ass up," Pierce said. "Every day he gave us the best look and he walked around with a smile on his face. ... He's just a great teammate. All of those things factor into our decisions."
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