Some Las Vegas Raiders who may not be onboard with the idea of paying a veteran quarterback like Geno Smith could still be reeling from the disastrous mistake of handing a three-year deal to former San Francisco 49ers trigger man Jimmy Garoppolo and watching it blow up in their face.
Even after that Raiders stint, Garoppolo, who re-signed with the Los Angeles Rams to back up Matthew Stafford, had interest from teams around the league. He chose to stay with the Rams based on his desire to remain with a stable organization, taking a very obvious dig at the Raiders when asked to explain his decision.
“It’s really more about the situation than the opportunity," Garoppolo said, via the Los Angeles Times. "I’ve been in a bad organization, and I’ve seen how it can wear on you throughout the year. Just talking to my brothers, my family, didn’t want to go through that again.”
Garoppolo has played for the Patriots and 49ers, the former of which helped him win two championships as a backup and the latter of whom has five Super Bowls and was a Patrick Mahomes supernova quarter away from winning one with him at the helm. It's not hard to figure out who that was directed at.
Jimmy Garoppolo takes shot at Raiders' organization after signing with Rams
Garoppolo was more trouble than he was worth with the Raiders, throwing nine interceptions in just six starts and getting benched not even one full season into a three-year deal worth just shy of $100 million. Josh McDaniels didn't help things, but Garoppolo just couldn't get it done.
Garoppolo is right in calling out that the Raiders are not the picture of a well-run organization, but is it Mark Davis' fault that Garoppolo was one of the worst starters in the league with the Raiders? Did Dave Ziegler make him throw those interceptions and lose those games?
At this stage of his career, Garoppolo is best served as a high-end backup and occasional spot starter. If his Raiders stint showed anything, it proved just how much of a bump he got from Kyle Shanahan during his 49ers tenure and how he is no longer worthy of being a long-term starting quarterback.
While the Raiders won't be confused for a well-oiled machine, Garoppolo seems to be shifting the blame for his ill-fated silver and black stint away from his own poor performances. This isn't the first time he's done that.