Former All-Pro WR Suggests That $72 Million Star Could Be Benched by Raiders

The new additions to the Las Vegas Raiders make it difficult to predict their potential.

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Teams pay veteran quarterbacks like Jimmy Garoppolo $72.75 million to be competitive.

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If the Raiders struggle, they'll need to make choices. Rookie Aidan O'Connell impressed in preseason but hasn't faced tough opponents yet.

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Steve Smith Sr., NFL Network analyst, thinks the Raiders might replace Garoppolo with O'Connell in 2023.

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Will Garoppolo lose their starting job to a rookie for the second year in a row? Smith predicts for the 2023 season on "NFL Total Access."

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Garoppolo won't be benched for O'Connell unless there's an injury. Raiders need a bad start to consider making that move.

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Aidan O'Connell was drafted after seven other quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft, so expectations for his rookie season were low.

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He was the best quarterback in the preseason and was named one of the biggest winners by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus.

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Rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell had an impressive preseason, according to Monson's August 30 column.

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