Raiders bench QB Jimmy Garoppolo, will start rookie Aidan O’Connell moving forward

Amidst lackluster performances from the experienced quarterbacks on the team, the decision to give O’Connell a chance seems logical at this point.

When questioned by Rapoport about the Raiders’ choice to stick with O’Connell, a source confidently replied, “He’s our top QB.”

This statement serves as a harsh critique of Garoppolo.

Vegas signed Jimmy G to a lucrative three-year $72.75 million contract this offseason as McDaniels’ personally selected replacement for Derek Carr. The union got off to a rocky start with the quarterback’s foot injury causing a pause in the introductory press conference as both sides addressed health concerns. Though the deal was eventually sorted out, it foreshadowed future problems.

Garoppolo, who has had trouble staying healthy during his time in San Francisco, once again faced injury issues, missing two games and being forced to leave another at halftime due to a back injury this season. Even when he was on the field, his performance left much to be desired. The quarterback only managed to surpass 208 yards passing in one game and currently holds the highest number of interceptions in the NFL, despite having significantly fewer snaps compared to other starting signal-callers.

Struggling to replicate his success outside of Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system, Garoppolo had difficulty moving the ball, frequently overthrew his targets, and crumbled under pressure. His disastrous performance in Detroit on Monday night, where he consistently missed his throws to Davante Adams, seemed to be the final straw.

Temporarily benching Garoppolo is the immediate decision. However, the new GM will face the question in the offseason of whether the team should absorb the financial consequences of terminating the quarterback’s contract and completely move on.

In the meantime, O’Connell will be making his second career start on Sunday against the Giants in Vegas.