Derek Carr made one of the most significant decisions of his career when he left the Las Vegas Raiders to sign with the New Orleans Saints. Now, just a few months later, Josh McDaniels was fired as the team’s head coach and Antonio Pierce was named as interim.
As if that wasn’t enough, owner Mark Davis also announced that general manager Dave Ziegler is out and Champ Kelly will temporarily take his place. Big changes after players like Davante Adams complained about the situation.
It’s important to note that, at Josh McDaniels’ request, Jimmy Garoppolo was chosen to replace Carr as the franchise quarterback. As a result, the reaction from the Saints player was highly anticipated.
“I’ve been through it, and this business is so tough that we forget the human side of things. So, my heart is for Josh and Dave and with my friends over there dealing with another change.”
Josh McDaniels was fired by the Raiders after a big loss in Detroit (Getty Images)
Derek Carr gets real on the firing of Josh McDaniels with Raiders
Furthermore, Derek Carr acknowledged that one of the major issues he experienced with the Raiders was a lack of stability, and what happened with Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler seems to be a new example of that.
“I lost count of how many coaches it was for me at that point. There’s another change for those guys to go through. A new scheme to learn, a new philosophy. That doesn’t make it easy as a player, but at the end of the day, nobody cares. You keep pushing. I wish Dave and Josh the best. As they know, and I’ve told them, I wish them the absolute best. So, to see that it’s hard. It breaks your heart for their families.”
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Who will be the new quarterback of the Raiders?
The first major decision by Antonio Pierce as interim head coach was to announce that Jimmy Garoppolo will have to go to the bench, while Aidan O’Connell will be the starter against the New York Giants.
Champ Kelly, the interim GM, supported the announcement. “The guys are rallying behind him. They’re excited to watch him get his opportunity. I was there as Antonio Pierce was speaking to the team and he had their eyes. There was an energy that was tangible in the room. There was a true excitement and guys are geared up to prepare for this weekend.”
Jimmy Garoppolo will be replace by Aidan O’Connell (Getty Images)
Who is Aidan O’Connell?
Aidan O’Connell was born on September 1, 1998, and had a standout collegiate football career with Purdue. Undoubtedly, 2021 was the year that brought him recognition, thanks to a season with 3712 yards and 28 touchdowns, which led to him displacing Jack Plummer, the previous starter.
In 2022, O’Connell once again posted impressive numbers with 3490 yards and 22 touchdowns. At the end of that season, the young quarterback decided to declare himself eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft.
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Despite the Raiders signing Jimmy Garoppolo, Aiden O’Connell was selected by Las Vegas with the 135th overall pick in the Draft. This season, he already started in the Week 4 game against the Chargers, in which they lost 24-17.
