Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell reportedly has broken thumb, will miss 4-6 weeks

The Las Vegas Raiders will be without their starting quarterback for a little while.

Aidan O’Connell suffered a broken thumb in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams and will miss 4-6 weeks after being evaluated, NFL Media reported Monday. He is expected to be placed on injured reserve.

O’Connell appeared to be injured in the first quarter when Rams safety Kamren Curl hit his hand while chasing the ball. The quarterback stayed in the game for one more play, completing a 10-yard pass to DJ Turner on third-and-21.

“I threw it, and it didn’t feel right,” O’Connell told reporters after the game. “I tried to get it out but, yeah, it doesn’t feel right.”

O’Connell, who became the Raiders starting quarterback again in Week 6, was “hoping for good news” after the game, but realized he might miss time as his thumb was “throbbing.”

“It’s very unfortunate,” O’Connell said. “I was looking forward to today and this opportunity, and to have it cut short like that was really hard.”

Before the injury, O’Connell completed 6 of 10 passes for 52 yards over two drives. He completed 63.4% of his passes this season for 455 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in four games, making two starts and filling in for the struggling Gardner Minshew in two others.

As a rookie in 2023, O’Connell, a fourth-rounder, threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions over 11 games, making 10 starts. Las Vegas went 5-5 over 10 games started by O’Connell.

The Raiders opted to sign Minshew after the season and made him the starter after the preseason. However, Minshew was benched after the Raiders went 2-3 in their first five games. The veteran scored three goals in Sunday’s loss, giving him a league-high eight points on the season. He also threw for 1,168 yards and four touchdowns this season.

With O’Connell sidelined, the Raiders add more depth at the quarterback position. They signed Desmond Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad, according to NFL Media. Ridder started 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

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