Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell’s 2024 season is over. O’Connell was feared to have suffered a serious injury after taking a late hit in the back from Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey on Sunday. It is now being reported that O’Connell will have to undergo surgery to address the lower-body injury he suffered during that unfortunate moment against the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium.
“Sources: #Raiders fear QB Aidan O’Connell suffered a season-ending knee injury today vs Tampa Bay,” wrote NFL inside Jordan Schultz in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “He is undergoing additional testing to confirm the full severity. But a tough year gets even tougher in Vegas as Desmond Ridder would be the next man up with four games left,” Schultz added.
Aidan O’Connell’s injury adds to Raiders’ brutal 2024 season
Before he left the Buccaneers game, O’Connell had passed for 104 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception on 11-of-19 pass completions. He also rushed for a touchdown. O’Connell’s season-ending injury came just in his second game back from a thumb issue that put him on the shelf for six weeks. Desmond Ridder took over the quarterbacking duties for the Raiders after O’Connell left, with the former Cincinnati Bearcats star signal-caller finishing with 101 passing yards on 12-of-18 completions with no touchdowns in a 28-13 road loss to the Buccaneers.
With O’Connell needing to spend the rest of the season and more away from the action, it seems that the Raiders will have to ride with Ridder as their QB1 going forward. It is also worth noting that the Raiders have already put Week 1 starter Gardner Minshew on the injured reserve with a collarbone injury.
O’Connell, who signed a four-year deal worth $4.34 million with the Raiders in 2023, finishes his 2024 campaign with 899 passing yards and four touchdowns against three interceptions on a 63.2 percent completion rate.
As for Las Vegas, its loss to the Buccaneers was its ninth in a row and 11th overall in the 2024 season. The 2-11 Raiders will look to have something to celebrate amid a tough year when they take on Ridder’s former team, the Atlanta Falcons, in Week 15 at home.
