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Davante Adams admits role in Jimmy G benching
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Davante Adams admits role in Raiders benching Jimmy Garoppolo last season

The Jimmy Garoppolo era in Las Vegas wasn’t long or particularly fruitful, and star receiver Davante Adams may have had something to do with it.

After going just 3-3 as the Raiders’ starter through October, the team benched Garoppolo midseason in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell — a move we now know Adams endorsed thanks to the Netflix docuseries “Receiver.”

“Well my opinion on that, was I signed off on that,” Adams said. “And that's just the reality of it. 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.”

Adams and Garoppolo never seemed to mesh well together. The two didn’t develop the chemistry needed for a successful QB-WR working relationship, and Adams seemed to grow impatient with the 32-year-old rather quickly.

There was even a moment during Vegas’ 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on “Monday Night Football” last October where Adams lost his cool on the sideline after Garoppolo missed him wide open for an easy touchdown. Adams hauled in just one of his seven targets in the game because Garoppolo was so erratic with his ball placement.

Despite O’Connell’s inexperience, benching Garoppolo and turning the offense over to him paid off.

Vegas went from averaging 16.1 points per game under Garoppolo to 22.3 points per game with O’Connell, who went 5-5 as the starter and had the Raiders battling for a playoff spot until the season's final weeks.

O’Connell also threw for nearly 30 more yards per game with five more touchdowns and two fewer interceptions than Garoppolo did in his limited run.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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