Most people knew the connection that existed between Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels and new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but it was one text ahead of a playoff game in 2022 that explains the bond between the two that dates back to their days with the New England Patriots.

“Good Luck. Pulling for you,” Josh McDaniels texted Jimmy Garoppolo before the San Francisco 49ers faced the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional round in January 2022, according to Albert Breer of SI.com.

“It's simple things like that… I haven't really talked to the guy in like four years,” Garoppolo said, via Breer. “In the NFL, you meet a lot of people. A lot of different personalities-some good, some bad. When you find a good one and you find someone who really cares about winning and cares about you as a player, for him to send that text? He didn't need to do that. But I don't know, when you meed a good person, you like to keep them around.”

Article Continues Below
More Las Vegas Raiders News
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll attends the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers.
Raiders’ 73-year-old Pete Carroll is embracing AIDouglas Fritz ·
Pete Carroll and the Raiders have one more area to address before 2025 training camp.
1 perfect Las Vegas Raiders move to fill out roster before 2025 training campLorenzo J Reyna ·
Part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders Tom Brady, who won the first Fanatics Games at the 2025 Fanatics Fest event, on a red carpet.
Tom Brady wins $1 million with latest championshipAndrew Korpan ·
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (14) congratulate each other after New England's win at Gillette Stadium.
Raiders rumors: The Tom Brady reason Las Vegas didn’t pursue Sam DarnoldPreston Byers ·
Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chip Kelly before playing against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Raiders rookie WR gets major Chip Kelly endorsementJordan Llanes ·
New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) warms up before the start of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium.
Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers earns prestigious tag that’ll leave Patriots fans screamingJaren Kawada ·

Garoppolo said the Raiders reached out early, and as time went on, it made sense to join the team.

“They were one of the first groups to reach out and just talk to us in the early stages of it, and that kind of got me excited about it,” Garoppolo said, via Breer. “You start talking about the pros and cons of each team, and players and coaches they got. It all makes sense here in Las Vegas, I'd say. Just the further I went into the process, the easier the decision became.”

As Garoppolo leaves the 49ers, he reunites with his old Patriots offensive coordinator with the Raiders, hoping to build positive momentum in McDaniels' building of the Raiders.