The Las Vegas Raiders made the move from quarterback Derek Carr this offseason, replacing him with a veteran in Jimmy Garoppolo.
It has been nearly a decade since anybody other than Derek Carr was the full-time starting quarterback for the Raiders franchise. Since the 2014 campaign, Carr has come in and set nearly every franchise passing record, while also leading the Raiders to two playoff appearances.
However, with a new regime coming in last season, the Carr and Josh McDaniels's marraige lasted not even a full season, as he was benched down the stretch in favor of Jarrett Stidham. This offseason, Carr was released by the team, and has since signed with the New Orleans Saints, clearing the way for McDaniels to go out and get veteran quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo.
With a reputation for winning games, and also frequently getting injured, Garoppolo is an interesting case as we enter the 2023 NFL season. He has won a ton of games at the NFL level, and even brought his team to the Super Bowl, but can he be trusted to stay healthy all season, and help turn around a Raiders franchise that won only six games last season.
If he does stay healthy, how good can he, and the Raiders be?
Raiders should improve in a big way if Jimmy G stays healthy
Looking back on his career, when healthy, Garoppolo has been more than serviceable NFL quarterback. In his last full season as a starter where he did not miss time, he appeared and started in 15 games, leading his team to the NFC title game against the Los Angeles Rams.
In his healthiest season of his NFL career, the 2019 campaign, Jimmy G started all 16 games for the 49ers, and helped his team punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. In 57 career starts, Garoppolo boasts a win-loss record of 40-17, and while wins are not directly a quarterback stat, for a team that has been to the playoffs only twice since the 2002 NFL season, that is a welcome statistic.
McDaniels and Garoppolo have a history, and the quarterback has done a nice job running his system in the past. If Garoppolo can stay healthy for most of the season, the wins will come, as he does a great job protecting the football, is a team-first guy, and has more weapons around him than he has had at any point in his NFL career.