Jimmy Garoppolo, the veteran quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders who is in his 10th season, is no longer a starter.
The decision was made this week to bench him after he had a poor performance on Monday against the Detroit Lions in which he completed just 10 of 21 passes and got sacked six times.
Aidan O’Connell, a rookie who was a fourth-round draft pick in April, is now the starter under center for the Raiders as they prepare for their contest this Sunday against the New York Giants.
They also fired head coach Josh McDaniels following Monday’s game, and new interim head coach Antonio Pierce says Garoppolo is still the leader of the team while even implying he could start again later this season, per Vic Tafur.
Antonio Pierce on Jimmy Garoppolo: "Jimmy is still a captain, Jimmy is still a leader. I'm sure at some point Jimmy is going to have the ball in his hand again." Added that he is proud of how Garoppolo has carried himself all season. #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 3, 2023
Until very recently, Garoppolo was considered by most to be a very solid, above-average QB and an excellent leader.
He helped drive the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in three of the last four seasons, and in the 2019 campaign, he took them to the Super Bowl, where they held a late lead over the Kansas City Chiefs before ultimately losing.
When the Raiders signed him prior to this season, they likely thought they were getting something of an upgrade over Derek Carr, their previous full-time starting QB who they had benched late last season.
Instead, Garoppolo has thrown nine interceptions and just seven touchdown passes so far this season.
Las Vegas is now 3-5, but with games against the Giants and New York Jets over the next two weeks, they do have a real opportunity to push their record over .500.
NEXT: Raiders WR Has Telling Comments Following Josh McDaniels' Firing
