When Aidan O’Connell arrived as a rookie quarterback in Las Vegas last year, he was handed the No. 4 jersey that Derek Carr had worn with the Raiders for the previous nine seasons. That didn’t sit right with O’Connell.
And so, O’Connell said on Maxx Crosby’s podcast, this offseason he decided he’s going to wear No. 12 instead.
“I just didn’t want to be four anymore,” O’Connell said. “I didn’t pick four. I was actually nine and then Tyree [Wilson] wanted nine. So they gave nine to Tyree in the first week I was here, then they gave me four and as a rookie you just kind of do what you’re told, so I was cool with it. When the offseason came, it felt to me it was Derek’s number. He wore it for that long and he’s a franchise leader and all that stuff. It felt disrespectful, so I just wanted to give that back to him.”
The Raiders have now given the No. 4 jersey to wide receiver Jalen Guyton.
