The Las Vegas Raiders are making a change at quarterback following their 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.
Las Vegas’ offense sputtered for much of the night behind an inconsistent outing from Jimmy Garoppolo that led fans to call for a change at quarterback. Las Vegas obliged ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the New York Giants, as Garoppolo is expected to be benched in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell.
It’s one of several changes this week for a franchise that fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler late Tuesday night before news broke Wednesday morning that offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi joined them in departing.
Why Did Raiders Bench Jimmy Garoppolo?
A likely key part of the benching is Garoppolo’s ties to McDaniels and Lombardi. The pair would certainly have had some say in the Raiders’ decision to sign Garoppolo to a three-year contract worth up to $67.5 million this offseason.
The deal reunited McDaniels and Garoppolo, who spent three seasons together with the New England Patriots from 2014 through 2016 when McDaniels was the franchise’s offensive coordinator.
MORE: Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart
Garoppolo has struggled to find his footing since leaving the San Francisco 49ers to join Las Vegas.
He has completed 110 of 168 pass attempts for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions in six starts this season, missing two games due to injuries.
Those struggles came to a head Monday as Garoppolo turned in his least productive showing of the season in going 10 of 21 for 126 yards and an interception while taking six sacks.
Who Will Las Vegas Turn to at QB?
That showing in Las Vegas’ disappointing defeat ultimately led the franchise to move on from three key decision-makers in McDaniels, Lombardi and Ziegler. The Raiders are now expected to start O’Connell at quarterback for the second time this season.
The rookie, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Purdue University, has made two appearances for Las Vegas this year.
O’Connell started the 24-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4, completing 24 of his 39 pass attempts for 238 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. He then relieved backup Brian Hoyer late in a 30-12 Week 7 loss to the Chicago Bears and went 10 of 13 for 75 yards, one touchdown, and an interception.
Despite having veteran quarterback options in Garoppolo and Hoyer, it now appears the feeling inside the Raiders organization is that O’Connell is their top option at the position.
“He’s our best QB,” a Raiders source told NFL Insider Ian Rapaport.
O’Connell will now get his shot to prove just that when he makes his second career start Sunday against the Giants.
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