Just As Soon as Tom Brady Hints Raiders Move, Rookie QB From Vegas Gets Special Attention

Tom Brady is returning to football one way or the other. After retiring from playing football and pushing back his broadcasting commitments, Brady is testing the waters of NFL team ownership. TB12 may become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. And that’s not the only Brady connection that Las Vegas has, with a TB12-like quarterback coming up in their ranks.

Purdue product Aidan O’Connell has impressed his private quarterback coach and former NFL QB Jeff Christensen to the point that the latter saw traits of the 7x Super Bowl champion in the 24-year-old. So what makes the rookie so special?

Rookie QB Aidan O’Connell draws Tom Brady comparisons

Tom Brady is closer than ever to becoming a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders organization. The two parties have been discussing a ‘passive’ investment from the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers passer, making Brady a limited partner of the Mark Davis-owned franchise. Brady bought a minority stake in the WNBA franchise, Las Vegas Aces, last month. The Aces are also under Davis’ ownership. So another sporting investment with the same owner in the same area code doesn’t seem like a far-fetched possibility. This also makes sense, as Jeff Christensen thinks Brady’s protégé lives in the Raiders building.

The fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Aidan O’Connell, has a long way to go before he lands a starting position on the Raiders roster ahead of Jimmy Garoppolo. However, Christensen sees special potential in the QB. “He plays a lot like Brady. He moves like Brady, and his accuracy will speak for itself. If you look at them throw side by side, they are pretty much identical,” Christensen told The Athletic over a phone interview.

Christensen did, however, admit that O’Connell’s success will depend on multiple variables like staying healthy throughout the course of his career and finding the right team. However, he’s pretty sure Raiders HC Josh McDaniels has already noticed the similarities.

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“Does Aidan have the same capabilities between the ears? Does he have recall, does he have vision, does he have moxie, does he have all those intangibles that Tom had? I think he does,” Christensen added.

TB12 isn’t the only MVP quarterback O’Connell drew comparisons with

One of the things that separates O’Connell from the rest is his accuracy, as per Christensen. “Aidan is the most accurate guy I have ever coached in my life,” he said. That’s a big thing. Especially given some of the superstar quarterbacks that have come out of his ‘Throw It Deep’ QB/wide receivers coaching academy in Chicago. This includes 2x Super Bowl MVP Chiefs QB1 Patrick Mahomes, current Raiders starter Jimmy G, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, and more recently 49ers QB Trey Lance. Getting to the top of the accuracy chart on that list is no small feat.

Aidan O’Connell has ended back-to-back Purdue seasons with a winning record. In his 24 starts over the last two seasons, he passed for 7,202 yards with a 68% throwing accuracy, scoring 50 touchdowns along with 24 picks. If Brady comes on board with the Raiders, O’Connell can add some more tips and tricks to his arsenal from the legend himself.

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