- New Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is mocked for saying he'll 'touch' and 'feel' his players
- Maxx Crosby's first public words after Raiders fire head coach Josh McDaniels
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo turned 32 years old on Thursday, but he probably would have preferred to receive a different birthday gift.
The Raiders on Wednesday announced that Aidan O'Connell will be taking over as the starting quarterback following a coaching change, but in an awkward move, the team on Thursdayv wished Garoppolo a happy birthday on social media as his future with the franchise appears murky at best.
Garoppolo's challenging season
Former head coach Josh McDaniels and former general manager Dave Ziegler signed Garoppolo to a three-year, $72 million contract in March. All three had worked together in New England -- but Garoppolo is now the last man standing in Las Vegas.
After owner Mark Davis fired McDaniels and Ziegler on Tuesday, Garoppolo was swiftly replaced as the starting quarterback. "Jimmy G" has thrown seven touchdowns to an NFL-worst nine interceptions -- and Ziegler's replacement in the front office will face the difficult choice of keeping him as an expensive backup or cutting him in March 2024 and eating the rest of his contract.
Here's what Maxx Crosby had to say after the Raiders fired Josh McDaniels
Raiders eyeing a culture change
The appointment of interim head coach Antonio Pierce signals that the Raiders want to re-establish an identity as a tough, no-nonsense football team that is "committed to excellence" and winning at all costs.
Las Vegas will see what it has in O'Connell, a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft who lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in his only other start this season. Josh Jacobs, the NFL's rushing champion in 2022, is a free agent after the season. But superstar wide receiver Davante Adams represents the most important barometer as to the franchise's future direction.
Adams is under contract for the long term, but he has routinely expressed frustration with the Raiders' losses. It remans to be seen whether he lodges a trade request this winter, and whether Las Vegas embraces a rebuild through the draft.