Raiders signing Jimmy Garoppolo does not rule out 2023 Draft QB
By Jason Willis
After nine years of Derek Carr, the Raiders will have a new starting quarterback in 2023. On the first day of the legal tampering period, they signed Jimmy Garoppolo.
After spending the last six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is now signing with the Las Vegas Raiders. A three-year, 67.5 million deal with 34 million dollars guaranteed, the former second-round pick is now reunited with both Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler.
Drafted by the New England Patriots in 2014, he spent the first three seasons of his career as Tom Brady’s backup. It is this experience in Josh McDaniels’ offense that makes “Jimmy G” a good fit in Las Vegas as he gives the team some stability at a position where the team only had Chase Garbers on the roster.
During his time in San Francisco, Garoppolo experienced much success. With 13,599 passing yards and 82 touchdowns, his 49ers teams routinely made deep playoff runs. This includes a Super Bowl appearance where they gave Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs all they could handle.
Raiders could still go QB on Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft
Of course, it is no guarantee that Garoppolo is the team’s week one starter. After all, Las Vegas still possesses the seventh overall pick of the draft. While it is certainly possible that a quarterback falls to them at that spot, they could potentially move up to the third overall pick in an attempt to secure “their guy”.
Going forward, pairing Garoppolo with a highly drafted rookie is a good plan. It is unlikely that Garoppolo is on the team for all three years of the deal and, at 31 years old, he is not the future. This deal allows the team to take their time finding the future of the franchise while also maintaining average quarterback play, at a much cheaper price than the previous starter.