Just eight months ago, Jimmy Garoppolo signed a blockbuster $72 million deal to lead the Las Vegas Raiders.
But at kickoff of the New York Giants and Raiders contest in Week 9, Garoppolo will instead be on the sidelines as Aidan O’Connell directs the offense.
Why Was Jimmy Garoppolo Benched? Raiders Insider Gives Details
The decision to bench Garoppolo comes in the wake of drastic changes going on in Sin City — from a head coaching change to the switch behind center.
Garoppolo was originally signed to rejoin Josh McDaniels, having played in his offense before with the New England Patriots. But what were the main reasons Garoppolo got benched in favor of a rookie?
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NFL insiders for The Athletic Dianna Russini, Tashan Reed, Vic Tafur, and Larry Holder wrote an in-depth look into the situation on Wednesday — the day of the Raiders’ decision to make the QB change.
“Jimmy Garoppolo struggled and has thrown nine interceptions, in between missing games with a concussion and a back injury. The Raiders’ brass thought that Garoppolo still gave them their best chance to win, even as he looked uncomfortable in the pocket and had trouble completing long passes downfield,” they wrote.
Examining Garoppolo’s Struggles With the Raiders
The part about Garoppolo being “uncomfortable” as described by the insiders is most telling about his current tenure with the Raiders.
Garoppolo, again, was lured in to run the McDaniels system in place. His ability to hit the short-to-intermediate throws and to make the necessary checks at the line made him ideal to operate McDaniels’ offense.
Instead, Garoppolo never put together a consistent weekend inside an NFL venue. Here’s a closer look at the most notable moments of Garoppolo’s six games:
- Garoppolo only delivered one 300-yard outing, which was 324 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- That same game, however, saw Garoppolo got intercepted three times, which was a season high for him.
- Garoppolo never threw for more than two touchdowns in all of his Raider starts.
- He ended up with a completion percentage of 65.5%, lower than any of his five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
- Finally, his 10-of-21-for-126-yard outing against the Detroit Lions came with overthrown passes and getting sacked six times — helping seal his fate as starter.
And with Garoppolo, the Raiders still fielded the league’s 22nd-ranked passing offense in the NFL and an offense that’s 30th in scoring.
Sunday’s game versus the Giants won’t be the first time Garoppolo was yanked for someone younger. His final season in the Bay Area of 2022 witnessed Trey Lance briefly supplant him as the starter. That was before he retook the reins when Lance went down with his broken ankle in Week 2.
But now, he’s taking a backseat to a rookie who’s part of the sudden regime change inside the Raiders’ facility.
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