The Las Vegas Raiders are making wholesale changes from the top down.
Tensions were high on the team following a frustrating Monday Night Football defeat against the Detroit Lions, and owner Mark Davis has evidently decided that enough was enough.
The team made a stunning move early Wednesday morning by announcing it had fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler and named Antonio Pierce the interim head coach. Now, Las Vegas will be trotting out a new starting quarterback for the rest of the 2023 season.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that rookie Aidan O'Connell is expected to start in place of Jimmy Garoppolo beginning Sunday against the New York Giants and moving forward.
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Rapoport followed that up with a quote from a Raiders source who said "[O'Connell's] our best QB."
Garoppolo completed just 10 passes for 126 yards while throwing a pick and missing a wide-open Davante Adams on several occasions against the Lions on Monday. For the season, Garoppolo has seven passing touchdowns and nine interceptions across six games.
NFL
The former New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers signal caller heads to the bench after agreeing to a three-year, $67.5 million deal, including $34 million guaranteed, with the Raiders in this past March.
O'Connell, meanwhile, is in line to make his first NFL start. The fourth-round rookie has one touchdown pass and a pair of interceptions while completing 34 of 52 pass attempts in two appearances so far this season.
The Raiders are 3-5 on the year and 1.5 games back in a crowded AFC wild card chase. The team hosts the Giants in Week 9, New York Jets on Sunday Night Football in Week 10, visits the Miami Dolphins in Week 11 and welcomes the Kansas City Chiefs to town in Week 12 before finally getting to their bye.
