Raiders' Jimmy Garoppolo Made HC Antonio Pierce 'Proud' of How He Handled Benching

Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce is "proud" of how veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has handled losing his starting position.

Pierce announced in his introductory press conference Wednesday that the team would be starting rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell in the future.

"Since Jimmy has been here, he's done nothing but become a pro and really taught our team to be a pro and also how to win, and when I say win, I'm not talking about on the grass always," Pierce said, per NBC Sports' Charean Williams. "I'm talking about in the meeting rooms, how to carry yourself, how to talk, how to handle adverse situations, and that's what I'm proud of."

Pierce was the person in charge of telling Garoppolo he would be taking the second-string position despite his three-million, $72.5 contract, per Williams.

"You're sensitive to it, but you're direct. You just nip it in the bud, which we did. We talked about it like grown men," Pierce said. "But at the end of the day, Jimmy is on our team. Jimmy's still a captain. Jimmy's still a leader."

"I'm sure at some point, Jimmy's going to have the ball in his hand again."

Garoppolo made six starts and threw for seven touchdowns and an NFL-leading nine interceptions before his benching.

The veteran quarterback was also putting up career-low averages in yards per attempt (7.2) and TD:INT ratio (0.78) through six games.

Garoppolo struggled the most in his last outing for the Raiders, finishing a 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions Monday with a season-low 126 passing yards and an interception on 10-of-21 throwing.

The Raiders fell to 3-5 on the season with that loss, their second in a row, which prompted the firing of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler.

It also sparked a change at quarterback, where 2023 fourth-round pick O'Connell will now take over.

O'Connell made his starting debut in the Raiders' Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He rushed for a touchdown and recorded 238 passing yards, the second-highest total for any quarterback debut in franchise history.

That, combined with Garoppolo's 3-3 record, was enough to earn O'Connell the starter's spot for Week 9 at home against the New York Giants.

According to NFL on CBS' Jonathan Jones, Garoppolo's salary could be another factor in the Raiders' decision to give O'Connell a shot at QB1. While Garoppolo is already guaranteed $11.25 million for this season, he is set to earn another $11.25 million on March 17— unless he is benched. That gives the new Raiders regime motivation to turn to their rookie quarterback.

The Raiders would have to take on a $28.3 million dead cap hit to release Garoppolo in 2024, per Spotrac.