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The Raiders put themselves in an awkward situation when they wished quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a ‘Happy Birthday’ just one day after benching him.
The team’s social media account posted the message: “Join us in wishing Jimmy Garoppolo Happy Birthday! #RaiderNation”
This comes following the mid-season firings of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler. With a 3-5 record in their first eight games, the Raiders made a change at quarterback as well.
Interim head coach Antonio Pierce revealed the decision to bench Garoppolo and give rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell a chance to lead the team. Pierce said: “We just feel like he gives us the best chance,” as reported by Yahoo Sports.
The timing of the birthday message in relation to Garoppolo’s benching was obviously going to lead to some online ridicule but the team went with it anyway. One fan pointed out the irony, commenting, “Didn’t y’all bench him?” – the post triggered a wave of memes, gifs, and jokes in the comments.
Join us in wishing Jimmy Garoppolo Happy Birthday!#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/48KY8lowy5
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 2, 2023
Garoppolo, who had signed a big 3-year $72.75 million deal during free agency to be the team’s starting QB, ended up as bust signing, leading the NFL in interceptions and missing wide open receivers such as star Davante Adams for big plays.