Las Vegas Raiders: Jimmy Garoppolo signing takes a strange turn
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders were supposed to have their starting quarterback in place for the 2023 season, but that has been put on hold.
Thursday started out as a happy day for the Las Vegas Raiders franchise, as Jimmy Garoppolo made his way into the building and looked every bit the part of the team’s starting quarterback. Shaking hands with coaches and new teammates, Jimmy G appeared ready to take the stand for his introductory press conference, something that never happened.
For whatever reason, the contract was not finalized with Garoppolo, so now we will have to wait another day for him to be officially introduced as a member of the Silver and Black. Maybe this deal does not get done in the end, but the likelihood is that he will be in front of the cameras tomorrow answering questions with Josh McDaniels at his side.
The signing of Garoppolo has divided Raider Nation, much like the fan base was when Derek Carr was the starting quarterback. Yes, he is a quarterback who has won a lot of games at the NFL level, but he is hardly ever healthy for a full season and is more of a serviceable quarterback than a franchise guy.
Still, he was McDaniels’s pick to come in and replace Carr, something that appears a bit more cloudy as we enter Friday.
Raiders still have a lot of work to do with this roster
Even if Garoppolo does sign on the dotted line on Friday, the truth is, this Raiders roster has a lot of holes to fill the rest of free agency. They filled a big one on Thursday, signing Jermaine Elumenor to a new deal, and he is expected to man down the right tackle spot in 2023, much like he did in a breakout season for him in 2022.
Hopefully, the Raiders can get this thing done with Garoppolo, as quarterbacks have been flying off the board in free agency, and there is not much left to choose from. As the days go by, it is also getting a lot more obvious that one of the big-name draft quarterbacks could also be in play for the Silver and Black this April.