Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell is surrounded by the kind of weapons that any young quarterback could only dream of. Chief among them is arguably the best wide receiver of this generation in Davante Adams.
The wide receiver is the type of player that just makes life easier for someone like O’Connell, but the two are also developing a good relationship off the field as well. In fact, O’Connell has gotten to the point where he is able to crack jokes at Adams’ expense, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
“You heading to the podium?” Adams asked.
“Yup,” O’Connell said, before quipping: “I’ve got a pretty easy act to follow.”
Adams let out a noticeable laugh, then added a knowing nod as if to say, “See, that’s what I’m talking about.”
It is extremely important for a quarterback to have the confidence of his teammates. The players must believe in whoever is under center, and even though O’Connell hasn’t put up some massive numbers, his Raiders teammates are clearly in his corner.
The rookie feeling more comfortable with a superstar like Adams is excellent and shows how comfortable his getting. As Adams noted, most young players act differently when they first come around the locker room:
“It’s always funny coming in, and you see the young guys come in, and they come and play with me, whether it’s D-lineman or whatever, they always look a little different at me when they’re walking through the hallways,” Adams said. “And he’d been like that for a while.”
And O’Connell has nothing but respect for Adams, noting that he was one of the first players to really make him feel welcome with the Raiders:
“He’s down to earth, and I obviously watched him a lot growing up,” O’Connell said. “It’s cool to form that friendship a little bit. I got to make fun of him a little bit, and he’s obviously a very good player. I guess my job is to bring him back down to earth a couple of times, even if that’s not my job. But, no, he’s just a great guy.
“He was one of the early guys to welcome me in to make me feel welcome here, so he’s been a huge part of my development.”
Whether O’Connell is the Raiders’ long-term answer at quarterback is still unknown, but he has ingratiated himself with this Raiders team. He and Adams being on the same page on and off the field can only be a positive moving forward.
