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Davante Adams Shockingly Claims He ‘Signed Off’ On Raiders Benching Jimmy Garoppolo
Last season, Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams strongly advocated for benching quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and may have had a role in the decision
![Davante Adams [Credit-Instagram@taeadams]](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-07/416756661_davante-adams-credit-instagramtaeadams.jpg "Davante Adams [Credit-Instagram@taeadams]")
Last offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders paid Jimmy Garoppolo a fair amount of money to become their starting quarterback. After considerable controversy surrounding his signing and a foot issue, Garoppolo agreed to a three-year, $72.5 million contract. Given his relationship with then-head coach Josh McDaniels, it made sense -- even if Garoppolo's potential as a player isn't very high.
But then Garoppolo struggled significantly. He completed 65.1% of his throws, but only at 7.1 yards per attempt, and in six starts, he tossed seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions. He eventually was benched in favor of fourth-round rookie Aidan O'Connell.
Davante Adams had some hand behind Jimmy Garoppolo getting benched last season
According to superstar wide receiver Davante Adams, he was offered the option to approve the move. "Well my opinion on that, was I signed off on that. And that's just the reality of it," Adams said during an episode of the new Netflix documentary, Receiver, "You know, I love Jimmy and he's a great guy, but something had to happen in order for us to have a chance down the stretch and in order for me to remain a Raider, in all honesty."
It's intriguing that Adams was asked about the transition and stated that he needed to remain with the club. Given his opinion on the subject, it's not surprising that Adams stated this offseason that O'Connell should be the team's starting quarterback in 2024.
"I want whoever is going to look the best when it's live bullets," Adams said during an interview with FOX Sports 1 adding, "I think right now if I had to say, I think Aidan has the job because obviously he was here before and that's the way that it was. He was running with the one's more and until Gardner [Minshew] comes in and takes the job away from him, I think it's Aidan's job right now."
Davante Adams screwed Jimmy Garoppolo bad
O'Connell's performance as a starter was inconsistent. The club finished 5-5 in his starts, but he was less effective as a passer than Garoppolo (62.1% completion percentage, 6.5 YPA), but he was better at limiting turnovers, with 12 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions.
Again, his peak as a player may not be that high, but Adams may be more interested in the floor and simply having a quarterback who can consistently deliver him the ball so he can create plays and lead the team. O'Connell had some potential to do so as a rookie, and until Minshew outperforms him in camp, the Raiders would be better suited to allowing the sophomore QB to establish he should be their long-term quarterback.
The decision to bench Garoppolo occurred at the same time that the Raiders sacked head coach Josh McDaniels and replaced him with Antonio Pierce.
Both moves worked nicely for the Raiders. They won five of their final nine games after starting 3-5, including a 20-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium.
After McDaniels was dismissed, Adams and the Raiders' spirits improved significantly. Adams was extremely vocal about his wish for Pierce to be hired full-time after serving as interim coach last season.
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