When Jimmy Garoppolo joined with the Silver and Black back in March, he probably had no idea that he would be watching from the sidelines during the last few games of the 2023 season as the quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, the winners of the Super Bowl.
Regretfully, in the NFL, that is sometimes the way things work out. To his credit, though, Garoppolo has made the most of his backup role, lending his seasoned knowledge to assist in mentoring rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who was designated as the starting quarterback after Interim Head Coach Antonio Pierce assumed the position
Pierce told reporters on Wednesday, “[It has been] just like you would expect with a professional.” “Excellent colleague. Not “big brother,” exactly, but more like big brother-ish.He’s back there, mentally processing every rep. Obviously, a starting quarterback at this level who can perform at a high level is giving us one of the finest looks possible.
More significantly, in my opinion, is the way he has conducted himself in the conference rooms, projecting the image of someone who has been there, done that. One professional athlete can receive something from their coach, and another professional athlete can receive something from your teammates and fellow athletes. And those little nuggets of wisdom add up to a lot.”
Garoppolo being in the room and prepared to go when needed is even more important for the Raiders, given the spate of injuries to starting quarterbacks that have occurred throughout the league. “I mean, you saw the game on Monday night, you see the game on Thursday night, this past Sunday — just some of these star quarterbacks going down; that’s not what our league wants to see,” Pierce stated. “That is not what we want to see. That is the last thing you want to happen to your squad because it will generate stress for many of the players and team members.
