The 2023 NFL season was a disappointing one on many levels for the Las Vegas Raiders, as they were once again on the outside looking in at the playoffs. For the Silver and Black, changes needed to be made very early on, as the quarterback position was a turnstile, the head coach was a joke, and the decisions he made ultimate led to his demise.
Here, we look at three terrible mistakes the Raiders made in 2023, starting with their QB1 decision after moving on from Derek Carr.
3 terrible decisions by the Raiders during the 2023 season
Bringing in Jimmy Garoppolo as QB1
On Valentines Day in 2023, the Raiders ended the Derek Carr era as the team's starting quarterback, a run that went on for nine seasons and resulted in zero playoff wins. In his place, head coach Josh McDaniels decided to bring in a familiar face in Jimmy Garoppolo, but in the end, that proved to be the first domino to fall on another non-playoff season.
Garoppolo not only struggled to stay healthy, but when he was on the field, he was downright awful. The Raiders could get nothing going with him under center, and his uncharacteristic throws downfield into coverage led to multiple interceptions early on.
In likely his only season in Las Vegas, Garoppolo started only six games, tossing seven touchdowns against nine interceptions.