Jimmy Garoppolo Will Be Raiders' Backup QB Behind Aidan O'Connell After Benching

Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be the No. 2 quarterback on the Las Vegas Raiders' depth chart moving forward.

Interim head coach Antonio Pierce announced on Friday that Garoppolo will play behind Aidan O'Connell.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier this week that Garoppolo was being benched for the rookie.

The report of Garoppolo's benching came in the midst of a notable week for the Raiders. Pierce was named interim head coach on Tuesday after Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were fired.

Moving on from McDaniels and Ziegler came after the Raiders were held to 157 yards of total offense in a 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night. It was the sixth time in eight games they have failed to generate more than 280 yards on offense. They haven't scored more than 21 points in a game through eight weeks.

The Raiders' decision to sign Garoppolo in the offseason is emblematic of the failures from the McDaniels-Ziegler era. He was brought in to replace Derek Carr, who was released after a disappointing 2022 season.

Garoppolo, who suffered a broken foot late last season with the San Francisco 49ers, originally agreed to a three-year, $72.8 million deal with Las Vegas when free agency began on March 13.

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Raiders added an addendum to Garoppolo's contract stating he wouldn't pass a physical because of the injury and clearing them and the NFL of any liability in the event of further damage to his foot.

Garoppolo eventually passed his physical right before the start of training camp to unlock his 2023 compensation.

The investment has turned out to be a bad one for the Raiders. Garoppolo leads the NFL in interceptions (nine) despite having missed two games due to injuries. He's thrown for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns and is completing 65.5 percent of his attempts in six starts.

O'Connell will be making his second career start this week. The fourth-round rookie previously started in Week 4, throwing for 238 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a 24-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Raiders will host the New York Giants at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.