Aidan O'Connell

Aidan James O'Connell (born September 1, 1998) is an American 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 in Long Grove, Illinois, on September 1, 1998. 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.

Professional career
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. 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.

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