In a surprising turn of events, the Las Vegas Raiders found themselves facing backlash after sending well wishes to their recently benched quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, on his birthday. The team took to social media to extend their greetings, causing a wave of criticism from fans who found the gesture cruel considering the recent decision to move on from Garoppolo.

The Raiders' official X page posted a message on Thursday morning, saying, "Join us in wishing Jimmy Garoppolo Happy Birthday! #RaiderNation." However, instead of receiving warm responses from fans, the team was met with a barrage of negative comments as supporters expressed their confusion and frustration.

One fan humorously remarked, "Y'all messed up for this 😂. He gets benched then y'all wish him happy birthday 😂 he's probably like 'don't wish me s***!!'" Another Raiders supporter chimed in, saying, "Benched em then telling us to wish em a happy bday? Cold game 😂😂😂😂."

While some fans criticized the team for their seemingly tone-deaf message, others took the opportunity to mock Garoppolo for his underwhelming performance this season. One fan sarcastically commented, "Happy Bench Day, I mean birthday 🎂 😂."

Interestingly, this is not the first time an NFL player has been benched on their birthday. Andy Dalton experienced a similar fate during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Garoppolo, who just recently signed a lucrative three-year, $72.5 million deal with the Raiders in the offseason, may have had a mixed birthday experience. Despite the rough patch he has encountered with the team this season, it is safe to assume that the significant financial security he has gained will soften the blow for the quarterback.

As the controversy surrounding the Raiders' birthday wishes for their former QB continues to gain traction, it remains to be seen how the team will respond to the backlash and whether they will take the fans' sentiments into consideration moving forward.